The Wrong Side of the Pond
by CharBop
Summary: Mia Jones always dreamt of the ultimate American road trip. At the start of her epic coast-to-coast journey from Florida to California the world decided to end, leaving her stranded on the wrong side of the pond. 3 months after the events of 'Coda' we see the aftermath of Beth's loss, new challenges, and how a new arrival helps Daryl come to terms with his grief. (Daryl/OC)
1. Part 1: A Higher Power

**[Author's Note] Hi guys! Bit of background... I wrote this in response to **'Coda', **the mid-season 5 finale of The Walking Dead. A Lot of life-changing stuff happened in the first half of Season 5 and Coda was just the shitty icing on the shitty cake. I was a huge Bethyl shipper and so was totally gutted about Beth's exit, which sparked me thinking how on earth the group, particularly Daryl and Maggie, were going to cope with yet another huge loss. I decided to pair this with an idea I've been thinking of for a while - introducing a character from another country and dealing with their isolation in this harsh and strange new world.**

****This is my first full attempt at writing fanfic so I'd appreciate any critiques (positive or negative) you may have to offer in order to improve my writing for the next chapters. I'll be writing whenever I get chance between my own Uni work (which will probably be quite a lot as I'm a terrible procrastinator) so hopefully I'll be able to finish before Season 5 part 2 starts in February 2015!****

****I really hope you enjoy my take on the post-Coda world. Stay tuned for Part 2: 'Three months, eight days.' coming up soon :)****

****Love,  
><strong>******CharBop  
><strong>******xox****

* * *

><p><strong>Part 1: A Higher Power<strong>

Tree shaped blurs rushed past her as she rested her head against the passenger-side window of the sleek black Mustang they had rented. Finishing her beer, her ears pricked up as a familiar guitar riff roused her from her hazy state.

"Oh my god, are you kidding me?!" Her friend exclaimed from behind the steering wheel.

"YES!" She cheered as she sat bolt upright and darted towards the volume button. "This is brilliant!"

"JUST A SMALL-TOWN GIRL, LIVING IN A LONELY WORLD. SHE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING AAANYWHERE!" They screamed together. "JUST A CITY BOY, BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTH DETROIT. HE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING AAAANYWHERE!"

A voice from the back seat squeaked along to the guitar solo, to the riotous delight of the girls. Singing at the tops of their voices, they recited every word, and every note. After another furious air guitar solo from the back, a box of hot wings was sent flying all over the car, to the riotous applause of the girls. As the song ended, the three of them slumped into their seats in hysteric giggles.

"That's it, we've done it. Ladies, we just had the ultimate American experience."

"Yep, it's all over now. Might as well just pack up and go home!" The three of them laughed and continued driving, completely oblivious to the trail of sirens zooming past in the opposite direction.

* * *

><p>Maggie collapsed to the ground. It had been exactly 3 months since they left Grady Memorial. Exactly 3 months since Maggie lost the baby sister she had just found again. She had run out of tears. She didn't have the water in her body to spare. Clean water was becoming harder and harder to come by. Rivers and streams were mostly polluted by corpses, both dead and undead. Some were easy to filter and boil. Others were a write-off. But after everything that had happened with Woodbury, Terminus, and then the hospital, the group were reluctant to enter built up areas, terrified of what horrors they would encounter next. Beth's loss was the last straw, and regardless they just did not have the energy for another battle.<p>

"Rick!" Glenn wrapped his arms around Maggie. "We need to stop. We need to rest."

"Looks about noon. We've been walking about 4 hours." Daryl pondered. "Couldn't hurt to take a break."

"Maggie, are you ok?" Rick walked over and knelt in front of her. "Can you walk any further?"

"I'm fine. I- I just tripped is all."

"Baby please-" Glenn urged.

"I'm fine!" Maggie snapped and jumped up to her feet only to stumble back into Glenn's arms.

"Ok we need to stop and rethink what we're doing. The road is just beyond those trees. Glenn, you take care of Maggie. We'll stop just up there."

Exhausted and dehydrated, the group stumbled out of the trees and slumped onto the roadside. Removing their backpacks and weapons only made them all realise just how drained they really were. They had not had the luxury of acknowledging pain for a long time. Always on the move, always on edge. Barring sleep, for some reason this was the first time the group had truly stopped. Perhaps it was because their bodies gave them no choice.

"I'm gonna scout up ahead. See if there are any vehicles we can commandeer."

"Abe, please just sit down and quit playing G.I. Joe for once." Rosita sneered, and Abraham, too tired to argue knelt down beside her and playfully nudged her in the shoulder. "That's more like it." She laughed.

Rick took out his flask and removed the lid to take a sip. As it rose towards his face, it seemed much lighter than he remembered. Peering inside his heart sank as he realised why. "How is everyone doing for water?"

One by one each member of the group had the same disheartening realisation as they tipped the last dregs of precious fluid onto their parched tongues. Carl looked at his baby sister, so blissfully unaware of the desperation they all felt. He took out his flask and helped her drink the last of his share. "It's like all we do is chase after water. There's gotta be another way. There's gotta be a town, or a village, or something round here with supplies. Why can't we just-"

"You know why Carl!" Rick snapped at his son, fists clenched in an anger he recognised only came when he was truly scared.

Carol put a hand on Rick's shoulder to calm him. Anger just wasted precious energy. She walked over to Carl and sat down beside him, looking out at the seemingly endless road. "This world is crazy, Carl. Nothing is safe. People just aren't human any more, and I'm not even talking about the walkers. We've lost so much and we still have so much more we could lose. We need to be cautious. It's the only way to survive. I know you know that." She paused and looked at Carl. "You're a clever kid, Carl. Heck, you're not even a kid any more. We're all tired. We're all scared. But at least we're alive."

"You think I don't know that? But what kind of life is this? Always running from our shadows? What about Judith? She's going to grow up knowing only how to be scared. That's not a life." Carl hugged Judith close and buried his face in the top of her head to stop him from crying. He had not let himself cry in a very long time, but exhaustion was his master now.

"We don't know what the future's gonna bring. All we know is today. That's all we can do, get through each day still breathing. For now that's life. It's all we got. We just have to deal with it." Carol sighed and continued to stare at the horizon. In the haze of the midday Georgia heat, she thought she saw a strange mound of mustard yellow in the distance. Slowly she clambered to her feet and walked forward to get a better view.

"Carol?" Daryl stood up and followed her.

"Hey you see that too right?"

"What?" Daryl squinted.

"There by that sign. Is that-"

"A school bus?" Abraham questioned with a hopeful tone as he appeared behind Carol.

"This might be the first time I've ever been glad to see one of those." Daryl smirked.

* * *

><p><em>Squelch.<em>

Another head hit the ground and rolled towards a tree with a groan.

"Fucking fuck."

A walker reached out towards her, biting at her arm. She pulled her machete out of the head of the walker to her left, pushing it away with her leg, and sliced it through the neck of the one about to sink its filthy teeth into her.

"For fuck's sake!" She screamed in frustration as she realised she was overrun. It was nearly noon and she'd been on the ground barely minutes before she was caught by surprise from a walker. More and more they appeared out of the trees behind her. The groaning had become almost deafening and that meant only one thing. A herd.

She had 2 options. Climb a tree and wait for them to pass, or run as fast as her legs could carry her. She had done the former before only once, but she'd been seen by too many of them this time; and from that hauntingly familiar racket echoing around the forest she knew they'd be all over her within minutes. She kicked over the bloody body of the walker she'd just killed and grabbed her duffle bag. _Great._ She thought as she threw it over her shoulders and darted away from the moans. _That's gonna stink for bloody ages._

As she ran through the trees she thought how lucky she was to have slept last night. It had been the first time since she got separated from her group that she'd had more than an hour of unbroken sleep. She thought it was because she'd finally gotten the hang of sleeping in the trees, but in reality she was so exhausted she could have slept just as well on a bed of nails.

_The group._

The moans from the herd were no longer audible but still she kept running. She ran so fast and for so long she must have been miles away. The afternoon sun beat down on her through the trees. She was sweating, dehydrated, and exhausted. But still she kept running. She wasn't sure what she was running from anymore. The walkers? The nightmares? The memories? It had been a long time since she'd allowed herself to remember. Perhaps it was because she hadn't felt this level of adrenaline since the night the last herd hit. The night she lost her one reminder left of home.

Before the tears had chance to sting she felt something catch around her foot. She fell forward sharply to the ground and struck her head on a small rock concealed beneath the forest debris. As the world turned black a final image filled her thoughts.

_Home._

* * *

><p>"Pass me the wrench, Rosi." Abraham reached out his hand behind him, his head still buried in the engine.<p>

"What's the magic word?" Rosita teasingly dangled the wrench just out of reach, glaring at him with an eyebrow raised and a sly smile creeping across her lips.

"I'll give that perfect Latina ass a good spanking if you don't." Abraham chuckled as he lunged forward to grab the wrench. Rosita leapt away spritely, still dangling it in front of him.

"Too slow old man." She joked too soon as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her lovingly towards him.

"I'll take that wrench now, thank you ma'am." He leaned forward and planted a bristly kiss on her lips as he finally pried the tool from her hand. In all the time she'd known him, Rosita had never seen Abraham behave so informal. Even when they made love he still retained some iota of his military persona. Perhaps the last few months had finally worn it down. She'd seen him go from determined, mission-focussed soldier to a broken shell of a man in mere seconds when Eugene uttered those fateful words so long ago. That glimmer in his eyes at the mention of the word "Washington" had been but an empty void since he finished sinking his fists into Eugene's face. But there it was again, finally. Now he had hope. Now they all had hope; and with it came a newfound energy.

Their faithful old fire truck finally gave its death rattle about 3 weeks after they left Atlanta. One too many walkers found themselves in bits of the engine they couldn't get to. They camped around it for 3 days before Rick finally convinced Abraham to let it be. It wasn't safe to stay there, and they were sure there'd be plenty more vehicles they could find. They siphoned as much fuel as they could carry and took it in turns to lug the bottles wherever they walked. As the days passed and no fixable vehicles became apparent, they had to abandon the fuel in favour of other supplies they found. As long as they could fuel themselves, their legs would have to do. Maybe they'd stumble across a cycle shop? Tara joked about that a lot, but in time it became more tempting.

"You know this ain't in bad shape. And it's got half a tank o'gas. Could probably have this thing up and running in a couple of hours," Abraham shouted across to Rick. "Not that I'm one to tempt fate o'course!"

"Just keep the good news coming!" Rick shouted back cheerily as he watched Carl pull faces at his infant daughter, causing her to howl with innocent giggles. He walked towards Tara, Noah and Carol who were checking through the contents of the bus. Flies buzzed around the pile of corpses to the right of the back door. Eugene had a theory about what had happened in the bus. Before they cleared it out, there had been a number of bodies strewn across the interior, and 7 walkers locked inside, but no signs of forced entry. There was evidence of medical equipment (pill bottles, fluid bags, dressings and so forth), and some of the corpses bore bloody bandage. The bus was facing the direction of Atlanta City. Eugene hypothesised that the bus had been carrying sick and bitten people, probably with the hope of treatment in the city. In the early days, there had been a lot of talk of help downtown, though it proved to be a pipe dream. Perhaps along the way the occupants of the bus lost a couple of people, who inevitably turned and caused the usual havoc. Some survivors must have escaped as the doors were hastily sealed from outside. God knows what happened to them afterwards. Everyone had their own theories about that.

"Ha! Jackpot!" Tara exclaimed. "My turn to give the good news, Rick. Come take a look at this!"

Under a pile of blankets at the back of the bus sat a large cooler, albeit no longer cool, filled with unopened bottles of water, enough to last the group at least a few days, maybe longer with conservative management. Next to the cooler, a couple of cardboard boxes stood filled with dried and canned food. With the blankets and medical equipment they'd salvaged from around the bus they had a good enough set of supplies to help them recuperate their strength for a while after the arduous few months they'd left behind.

Carol started inspecting Tara's newfound treasure trove. "Maybe someone should go find Daryl and the others. Not sure there's much use for hunting right now. They should save their strength at least until we're up and running."

Rick wiped down the back windows with his arm and peered out towards the trees Daryl, Sasha, and Tyrese had disappeared through to forage for food. He pondered a moment.

"If they're not back before Abraham finishes with the engine then we'll send someone. But we don't wanna risk anyone getting lost looking for them."

"I can't believe nobody found this shit before us." The group turned to face Noah who was staring at the food box with a serious look of concern. "If Eugene's right and this bus has been here since the beginning, why are we the first people to find all this stuff?"

"Hey you saw the state it was in when we got here. Tightly locked up, full of walkers, enough at least to scare off any small groups…" Michonne appeared at the front of the bus, but her voice trailed off as she pulled her hand away from a slimy mass resting on the seat she had just leant on. "You never get used to that. Ugh, gross."

Tara giggled. "Maybe we should clean this up a bit. I don't know about you but I don't really enjoy sleeping with my head buried in blood and guts."

"There was that creek we passed maybe 2 miles back. The water wasn't great for drinking but it sure as hell would be useful to spruce this place up a bit." Carol gestured to the cooler. "We could fill this up. It's pretty big. Use some of it for cleaning, and filter some for drinking later?"

"I really don't like us being so exposed for too long. It's pretty open out here." Rick scratched his beard and sighed. "Sounds like we don't have long before we're on the move but I guess if we move quickly we could be there and back in less than an hour. Michonne, you with me?"

"As always." Michonne replied.

* * *

><p>Daryl glided through the trees as though his feet were barely touching ground. His crossbow was poised ready for action. Tyrese always found it amusing how such a tough-looking guy could navigate the forest floor with such silent grace, while he himself trudged heavily through the foliage like a tank rolling through a warzone, regardless how hard he tried to be silent. He wasn't even a good shot with projectiles. He could happily beat anything to a pulp with a melee weapon, but arrows and guns were never his forte. With that, he wondered why his sister had dragged him hunting. With her sniper-like aim and delicate gait, she was the perfect candidate to accompany Daryl on this trip. So why him? Tyrese's thoughts were interrupted as Daryl gestured for them to stop. Two rabbits were stood just behind a tree, around 100 meters away from where the gang were hiding.<p>

"I got this." Sasha whispered, as she stalked closer to animals. Two faint shots of her silenced rifle signalled Daryl and Tyrese to come out of hiding as Sasha appeared from behind the tree with her two trophies in hand. "I used to hate the idea of hunting. Now it just feels normal."

"You know Sash used to be a vegetarian before we dropped down the food chain?" Tyrese chuckled softly to himself.

"Where I come from, you'd eat whatever you could. Nothing was wasted. You'd eat the meat but you'd respect the animal. You just had to be thankful, you know?" Daryl felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he eyed their latest kill. "Time was I'd have said a silent prayer for these li'l suckers. Not sure there's much point these days." His ears picked up to the sound of rustling to his left. "Something big. Deer maybe. Stay here, I'm gonna go check it out."

As Daryl skulked off deeper into the forest, Sasha slumped onto the floor and buried her head in her hands. "Ugh, Ty, I need to talk to you. Quickly, before Daryl gets back."

Tyrese knelt down in front of his sister, a concerned look on his face. "Hey, hey, hey. It's ok. What's wrong, Sash?"

"I don't know how to say this. I can hardly believe it myself. It's just so-" Sasha rushed through the words as though they could hardly wait to escape from her lips. "Ty, I'm pregnant!" Suddenly she burst into tears.

"What? Are you sure? How do you-? Who-? Oh God, Sash, I'm so so-"

"Don't! Don't say you're sorry! Don't you fucking dare say you're sorry! I don't want you to feel sorry for me. It sucks. It fucking sucks. I miss him so much. Every day it hurts. But I can't help thinking, out of all the shit we've been through, after everything we've seen and done, maybe this is the one bit of good that can come out of this." Sasha wiped her tears and stroked her tummy lovingly. "If this is how I'm meant to be remember Bob, what better way than having a piece of him growing inside me."

"But Sasha, are you sure you're pregnant? How do you know?"

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life. I've skipped 3 periods. I thought it was just the stress and the dehydration you know? It's been a tough couple o'months. But I just feel it. I've been a little sick lately too. I wanted to hide it not just from the others but from myself because I was scared and confused. Well I'm _still_ scared, but I'm not confused anymore; I just know it's right. Finding the bus was like a sign. Maybe things will be ok. If Judith can make it this far, why can't my baby?" Sasha looked up as the early afternoon sun peered through the trees and warmed her face. "You think I'm crazy don't you."

Tyrese put his arms around his baby sister. "Sash, I've always thought you were crazy. And that's what I've always admired the most about you. You're strong. You don't take no shit. I know you'll be an amazing mom. But you don't have to take this all on yourself. You always carry so much. I love you, sis. I'm here for you. You don't have to hide things from me cos I will _always_ have your back. And I'm pretty damned sure I can say the same for the others too."

Sasha rested her head on Tyrese's shoulder. "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."

Tyrese kissed the top of her head. "If you're feeling ok, maybe we should check on Daryl."

"Yeah ok. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Daryl had his crossbow poised silently at an object in the distance. Through the dreamy late afternoon haze of the forest a doe was grazing peacefully. For the first time in a long time he felt at peace, even if just for a brief and beautiful moment. All around him the woodland shimmered in a magical golden hue from the afternoon Atlanta sun. It was just him and nature alone again, just as it used to be. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, and as his eyes reopened he allowed his finger to squeeze the trigger.<p>

_Achoo!_

The doe darted off deep into the trees and out of sight as Daryl's arrow flew straight into the ground where it stood. His Zen-like peace was shattered as Tyrese appeared from behind his shoulder looking deeply embarrassed. "I am so sorry, man."

Sasha couldn't contain her laughter as Daryl gave an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe you just did that!" She started howling, doubled over, and playfully punched her brother in the arm. "Your face! Oh God I needed that. That was beautiful! Ha, ha, ha!"

Daryl shook his head and chuckled quietly to himself as he walked over to retrieve his arrow. It was wedged in what appeared to be the leg of a corpse. As he got closer he noticed the body still looked fresh and a familiar chill crept up his spine. _Something isn't right._ Just as he was about to abandon the arrow and head back, he noticed a large duffle bag. It appeared to be stuffed full of something and after the loss of the doe all Daryl could think of was the possibility of food. _I can be quick_, he thought as he pulled the arrow out of the leg and reached for the bag. Before his hand could even get close he heard a groan and jumped back. In the eerie silence of the forest, if it hadn't been for Tyreese's perfectly timed sneeze, he would have almost forgotten how to experience sound. He was in mid-swing of his knife arm when the groans turned into words.

"Ja…cob..."

Daryl stopped himself just in time before his knife sunk into its head. He paused for a second, unsure if he was going crazy. It was then he noticed the fresh blood oozing from the arrow wound and suddenly it all clicked into place.

"Ja…cob..."

He knelt down beside the body of what he now realised was a young woman and turned her onto her back. Immediately he saw the blood stained rock and the rapidly bleeding gash at the top of her forehead and knew he had to act fast.

"Tyrese! Sasha! Need a little help here!" He shouted into the trees. "Hey, can you hear me? What's your name?" He shook her shoulders gently and checked the rest of her for other injuries.

"Mi… Mia…" Her voice was barely audible as every word was a struggle.

Her mousy brown hair was glistening with blood-soaked crimson as it poured out of her. Daryl knew he had to stop the bleeding but for some reason he felt out of his depth. He felt his heart sink as he realised why. It had been exactly 3 months since he carried Beth's lifeless body out of Grady Memorial Hospital, blood oozing from the exit wound at the top of her skull. It had been exactly 3 months since he saw Maggie's face contorting from the sheer horror of seeing her baby sister so limp in his arms. His mouth went dry and he felt sick to his stomach. For a second he froze as a wave of grief came rushing over him; but he forced it back down and used his knife to tear a section of his t-shirt. _Not one more._ He thought as he pressed the material to her head and wrapped it tightly around her. _Not another damned one._ He turned to her leg and did the same to the now rapidly bleeding arrow wound. He turned back to her face and cleared away her hair with his hand. "Just hang in there. You're gonna be ok."

"Daryl what's going on?!" He heard Sasha's voice approaching.

"What the hell?" Tyrese followed behind her, trusty hammer poised and ready.

Daryl took Mia in his arms and lifted her out of the pool of blood surrounding her. Her arms fell limp and again he felt a punch to the gut thinking of what happened in Atlanta. It felt like an eternity ago, and yet it was still so raw. Daryl shook his head and tried to focus back on the now. "One of you grab that bag and machete. We gotta go, now."

"Ja…cob…?" Mia's eyes looked up at her rescuer but all she could make out was the blurred outline of the gravelly voiced person who now seemed to be carrying her. She tried to lift her arms but they felt alien to her. No matter where she tried to move her eyes, nothing was in focus. The world felt as if she were trapped in some surreal dream. She felt almost serene if it wasn't for the strange damp sensation on her face. She never did like feeling damp. In the haze of outlines blurring past her she realised she was on the move. The outline of what looked like tree branches helped her focus on reality, and she remembered why she had been running. Now the only challenge was to make her lips move again.

Tyrese, Sasha, and Daryl moved swiftly through the woods, rushing through the foliage to get back to the group and help this unknown stranger. As the leaves rustled beneath their hurried feet, they couldn't hear Mia's tiny struggling voice say the most important word they needed to hear.

"Herd…"

* * *

><p>"Rick!"<p>

Daryl emerged through the trees and clambered up into the road. Maggie, Glenn, Gabriel, Carl and Eugene, who were sat in the road resting, turned towards Daryl's voice. The closer he got to them, the clearer it was. He was carrying a body. For a brief and terrifying moment, the group thought it had happened again: they'd lost another member. But when Sasha and Tyrese appeared behind him, they felt a wave of relief. All except Maggie, who was frozen to the spot, eyes wide open and brimming with tears. In Daryl's arms was the body of a young woman, bleeding from the head with her arms slumped to the sides, limp and lifeless. In that moment, all she could see was Beth, and she could not control herself as what little food was left in her stomach began to rise into her mouth. She ran to the ditch at the other side of the road and vomited violently.

Glenn could not hide the concern on his face. Maggie had lost a lot of people along the way and yet always remained a pillar of strength and resilience for the group. But Beth was the straw that broke the camel's back. Every night Glenn could hear her sobbing, and every morning he'd have to hold her tight as she screamed and shook from the nightmares. She'd barely eat, she'd barely sleep, she was irritable and snappy, yet was quiet and withdrawn. She had barely held a conversation with anyone since they left Atlanta, and she certainly wouldn't talk about Beth, not even to her own husband. Glenn felt utterly powerless, and no more so than in that moment as he held back Maggie's hair and listened to the commotion going on behind him.

"Dad and Michonne went to get water from the creek. What happened?" Carl handed Judith to Gabriel and ran towards Daryl.

"We found her in the woods. I think she fell. Hit her head real bad. She's lost a lot of blood." Daryl was out of breath, he hadn't even realised he'd been running the whole way.

"Has she been bitten?" Carl gestured to the bloody bandage around Mia's leg.

"Not that I can tell. But she got hit in the leg by one of my arrows."

"Bring her over here!" Carol jumped out from the back door of the bus and placed a blanket on the ground. Daryl laid Mia down and slumped on the floor to catch his breath as Carol inspected her wounds. "Well at least she's breathing. That head wound doesn't look great though. Until she wakes up we won't know what the extent of the damage is. We gotta clean up that leg too. The wound's deep but I don't think it's hit anything major."

Sasha walked over and put her hand on Daryl's shoulder. "You ok?"

"Yeah." He wiped his hand over his face and looked up at Carol. "You think she'll make it?"

"Well the bleeding looks to have stopped so that's good. Her pulse feels pretty weak though, looks like she lost a lot of blood. I wanna say she's been lucky but I'm not holding my breath 'til she wakes up."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Sasha.

"Other than cleaning her wounds I don't know. Hershel taught me a lot but without the proper equipment I'm just not sure what we could do. Fluids would be good, maybe antibiotics?" Carol looked back at the bus. "There was some medical stuff in there. We should probably look through it, see if anything would be useful." She gestured for Sasha to come with her and the two of them joined Noah looking for anything that could help save this stranger's life.

Daryl stared at Mia lying so helpless beside him. She had an innocence about her that felt so familiar. But then the way the world was now meant people never were how they seemed. Yet he couldn't help but wonder who she was, where she came from. From the looks of her surroundings when he found her, she hadn't been there long; minutes maybe. Her foot was trapped in a tree root, so perhaps she'd tripped. _It must have been one hell of a fall to hit her head so hard_. He thought. _Was she running? What from?_ Daryl couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

The group were mostly gathered by the bus when Carl saw two figures walking up the road. "Dad!" He shouted as he ran towards him.

"Carl?" As they got closer to the group, Rick and Michonne noticed large drops of blood on the ground. They looked at each other, horrified, as Rick felt his stomach turn. "Carl!" He suddenly let go of his handle of the cooler and ran towards his son. A wave of water spilled out onto the ground, washing away the blood.

"Dad, it's ok! Everyone's ok."

Rick held Carl close almost smothering him. "I saw blood and everyone standing around like that. I was scared-"

"Daryl found someone while he was hunting. Said she'd hit her head or something. She was bleeding a lot. Carol's looking after her now." Carl reassured his father.

"Do we know who she is? Was she alone?" Rick couldn't hide the worry in his voice.

"I dunno. Tyrese and Sasha seem to think she was. She had a big bag with her. Could have been travelling by herself." Carl guided Rick over to the rest of the group. He whispered to his dad, "Daryl's pretty shaken. Maggie isn't doing well. I guess they got reminded of Beth."

"Thanks, son. I'll take it from here." Rick patted Carl on the shoulder and sat down next to Daryl. "Hey man. What happened?"

As Daryl filled him in, Mia began to stir. The voices around her sounded muffled and distant but as her ears retuned themselves she began to realise they were surrounding her. Her eyes opened and she noticed the sounds were coming from figures hovering over her. _Was it all a dream?_ She thought as her mind tried to piece together what was happening. _Am I still with my group?_

"Ja…cob…? W-where am I? Jacob?" The words sluggishly tumbled out of her mouth as her vision started to focus. Suddenly it hit her. These weren't people she knew. In her experience that always spelled trouble, and as a burst of adrenaline shot through her, she finally found strength enough in her muscles to push herself up. Mia's head pounded like she'd never felt before. As she moved her leg to get up a sharp pain sent her screaming. Every attempt to steady herself was thwarted by an extreme dizziness that sent the world spinning around her, but she would not let these strangers think she was weak. She reached for her machete, but it wasn't there. She scrambled around in horror as she realised she was unarmed and completely vulnerable. "What's going on?! Who are you?!" The effort to speak made her feel weak but she resisted the urge to pass out again. "Where am I?"

Rick leaned forward. "How many walkers have you killed?"

Gabriel grabbed Rick's shoulder. "Rick no. She isn't-"

"How many walkers have you killed?" Rick persisted.

"Rick stop, please. Do you have to do this now?" Tara pleaded with him.

"How many walkers have you killed?" Rick would not stop. A mixture of hunger and exhaustion fuelled his desperation. His questions were the only thing that gave him clarity. He wasn't alone in his paranoia. Since Eugene revealed he lied to them about Washington, Abraham was extremely wary of strangers.

"Let him ask. We don't know anything about her. She could be anyone. This could be a trap!" Abraham pushed past the others to stand by Rick's side.

"You're talking crazy! You saw how she was when we brought her!" Daryl shouted as he rose to his feet and into Abraham's face. Carol held him back to calm things down but the group descended into argument. Through all the commotion, a dizzy and confused Mia had a flash of memory.

"Walkers…"

A flash of trees. Deafening groans. Then suddenly, she came to her senses.

"The herd!"

* * *

><p>She shouted, but the group weren't listening. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" She screamed so loud the group stopped dead in their tracks. As they stood staring at her in sudden silence she began to panic. "Oh god, how long was I out? I remember. I remember what happened."<p>

"Hush now, it's ok." Gabriel knelt beside her and held her shaking hand. "Calm down, and tell us what's going on."

"We need to get out of here. There's a herd. It's gotta be close now. Argh shit my head." Mia's vision was starting to blur again.

Rick immediately regretted his forcefulness as the reality of the situation began to dawn. "Mia, is it? It's ok. I'm sorry for how I talked to you. But it's really important you tell us exactly what happened."

Daryl knelt next to Gabriel. "I found you in the woods. You were out cold. Didn't look like for long. That must have been about 30 minutes ago."

"No, no, no, no!" Mia really began to panic. "We've got to move now. There was a herd a few minutes away from me when I started running. There must have been hundreds, the noise was unbelievable. I know I outran them but probably by no more than 30 or 40 minutes. They can't be far away."

"Oh crap." Glenn muttered under his breath. "Abe, how long we got left before this bus is ready to roll?"

"As long as we have to spend on it." Abraham rushed back to the bus's engine and hastily continued to work on it as Rosita took to the ignition.

"Ok if she's right then we haven't got long. Michonne, help me get that water on the bus. Carol, you take care of Mia. Eugene, Gabriel, Noah and Carl, get Judith on that bus, make sure all our supplies are loaded, and start covering the windows with blankets. If we can't get the engine going our best chance will be to hide. Tara, Glenn, Maggie guard Abraham at the front for as long as you can. Daryl, Sasha, Tyrese, guard the back doors." Rick looked out at the forest. It seemed so still, yet he knew it was just the calm before the storm. "Everyone listen. The second too many walkers come out of those trees I want you _all_ on the bus. No matter what you have left to do. On the bus, got it? I ain't losing anyone today."

He was back. There was the Rick they all knew. The strong leader they had come to depend on; some for months, some for years. With his strength, they all felt that little bit stronger, and with that they got to their tasks with no arguments. Finding the bus, especially so well stocked, had been the miracle they'd been so desperate for for weeks. None of them were prepared to let it go.

Rick and Michonne had barely got the water cooler on the bus when Daryl hushed the group. "Listen…" He whispered, gesturing towards the trees. Mia was huddled on a row of seats inside the bus trying desperately not to succumb to the dizziness. Carol had just finished dressing her leg when the silence fell in the group. Knowing what this meant, Mia struggled to her feet and, despite Carol's protest, limped towards the back window and slid it open. The ghastly moaning was clearly audible now. The herd had arrived.

"Hold your positions until we see walkers. We gotta give Abe a chance to get this thing going." Rick kept his hands poised in readiness above the weapons in his belt.

"Ssh." Daryl hushed Rick. Something wasn't right. Maybe his ears were too finely tuned from years of tracking and hunting, but he was sure he heard something close. He shot his crossbow to his right as suddenly a group of walkers appeared out of the trees. Sasha fell back and fired a shot into the air as one lunged for her. Tyrese slammed the sharp end of his hammer straight through its head and helped his sister onto her feet.

"You gotta be more careful in your-" He started as Sasha shut him down.

"Shut up, this isn't the time!" She whispered forcefully.

As quickly as they disposed of the first group, another appeared at the front of the bus, one almost taking Abraham as he plunged his knife into its head.

"Hold steady!" Rick screamed as he shot two more walkers down.

Feeling helpless and weak Mia watched in horror as more walkers piled out of the woods. The world seemed to slow down around her as her vision doubled and her head began to throb again, yet somehow she found herself looking for her trusty machete in a desperate bid to help her apparent saviours. As she searched the bus, she saw a mixture of reactions from Eugene and Gabriel's frozen fear, to Carl's steadfast protection of his baby sister, Abraham's bitter determination, to Michonne's sheer fearlessness; and she felt, for the first time in a long time, like she was around real humans again. Good humans. Humans she needed to help protect.

Among a pile of bags under the chairs at the back of the bus she saw it catch the light. She leant over to grab it but moved too quickly and felt the world flash black as her knees buckled. Shaking her head she tried to snap herself out of it, and pulled herself back upright. Out of the window she saw Daryl pinned to the floor by a grotesquely obese walker. Holding the hilt of her weapon tight, with a surge of adrenaline she opened the back door and sliced through its head. Daryl pushed off the body and lay dazed for a second, looking up at Mia standing fearless and strong, blood dripping from her machete. But within mere seconds she began to sway as every ounce of energy she had left was lost with swing of her weapon. He got up just in time to catch her as Mia's injuries finally got the better of her.

With Sasha and Tyrese holding up the rear, Daryl carried her back onto the bus, laid her across the seats and checked she was still breathing._ Thank God_, he thought as her breath glided against his cheek. Using whatever they could find, he joined the others as they barricaded the back door against the wave of walkers pushing against it. Meanwhile, at the front of the bus Abraham was still desperately fiddling with the engine.

"Come on you little fucker!" Rosita twisted the ignition but again the engine stuttered and halted. Abraham slammed his fist into the metal casing of the engine in frustration. Behind him another walker's head exploded as Michonne swung her sword through it.

"We gotta get outta here. There's gonna be too many of 'em!" She shouted to Rick as he pushed off another walker and pierced her weapon through its skull.

"You gotta let go! We need to clear out these walkers and hide before the whole herd hits!" Rick grabbed Abraham's arm but he snapped it back violently.

"I can do this! Just one more…" He fiddled inside the engine and shouted to Rosita. "Start her again!"

"Just get inside, please!" Rosita shouted from the steering wheel.

"Just do it!" He screamed. Rosita twisted the ignition key. The engine stuttered again for a few seconds before roaring back to life. "Now we're talking!"

"We gotta go, now!" Rick helped dispose of more walkers as Michonne, Tara, Maggie and Abraham bundled onto the bus. Glenn had just placed his foot on the step when a walker crawling on the floor to his left bit him on the leg. Maggie screamed as Glenn fell to the ground, dropping his knife just out of reach.

"Shit. Rick!" Glenn kicked off the walker as Rick shot a bullet through its rotten head. The two of them jumped onto the bus and shut the door behind them.

"Wagons roll!" Rosita put her foot down and the bus sped off down the road, ploughing through another group of the undead. Maggie, sobbing hard, clutched onto Glenn for dear life as he pulled up his jeans to reveal clean and healthy skin.

"Ha! These are some damned good jeans!" He chuckled as he sank back into Maggie's arms in relief.

The group took their seats and tried to process what had just happened. Daryl sat at the back of the bus in quiet reflection, watching the swarm of walkers appearing out of the trees turn into ants as they sped off into the horizon. His mind flashed back to that innocent deer grazing in the woods before fleeing to reveal the body of the girl who bought them just enough time to get out of there in one piece. The girl who used the last of her strength to save him from the fattest fucking walker he'd ever encountered. He had never believed much in a higher power, but something about the chain of events that day made him think something was on their side. He looked at Mia whose unconscious body was balanced precariously where he lay her down. With each bump in the road she edged ever closer to falling off the seats. He instinctively leapt towards her, lifted her head and rested it on his lap, holding her securely. Resting his head on the cold glass of the window, watching the trees blur past, he couldn't hold back the smile as he came to the cold realisation…

_That goddamned sneeze may have saved our lives._

**End of Part 1**


	2. Part 2: Three Months, Eight Days

**[Author's Note] Welcome to Part 2 of The Wrong Side of the Pond.**

**In the spirit of the show, after the more action packed previous chapter, I decided to focus more on the characters, particularly Daryl and Mia. Here we see what happened after escaping the herd, and also we reveal Mia's troubled backstory.**

**As always any feedback is welcome. Stay tuned for Part 3: 'Silver Linings' coming soon:)**

**Love,  
>CharBop<br>xox**

* * *

><p><strong>[TRIGGER WARNING] Depictions of rape and graphic violence.<strong>

**Part 2: Three Months, Eight Days**

"Why didn't you just leave her there?" said a gruff and distant voice.

"She saved my fucking life! What you expect me to do? Feed her to the fucking walkers?" another voice, still gruff yet somehow kinder, and much closer. "How'd you feel if that was you? We can't stoop to the lows we've seen. You're fucking sick!"

"Finding this bus today was a miracle. Finding her today was a miracle. We might not be here if Daryl hadn't found her. Who are we to judge her? The Lord works mysteriously." She remembered that voice. The one that held her hand.

"The Lord has been pretty consistently clear with us lately. We can't trust anyone. We're low on resources as it is, we don't need another fucking mouth to feed! And that's if she even wakes up. We're living with a fucking corpse, and we don't even know who she is!" The first voice grew louder.

"Jesus H Christ, Abraham, where the hell has this come from?"

"I'm looking out for us, Rosi! Maybe it's about time someone did."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She remembered that voice too. The one with the questions.

"Look at everything we've been through, Rick! We've been too trusting and where has that got us? Bob's dead. Beth's dead. God knows how many people you lost before we joined you. Hell, Rick, you're a good guy, but maybe that's not what we need. And as for you." The gruff voice seemed to change direction. "How many times did we nearly die for you? And for what? Twisted lies and false hope!"

"Leave him alone, he's more than proven himself since." A voice of reason, though she couldn't place it.

"Say whatever you want, Tara, I still don't trust him. And I don't trust her. We'd do right to just stop the bus and dump her. She might be fine, we don't know. But she ain't our problem."

"Enough of this. We're not animals! She's hardly a threat when she isn't even conscious! We need to concentrate on finding somewhere to settle for a few nights while we think about where we go from here. If she wakes up, we can deal with her then. For now we treat her like one of our own. If it wasn't for her, we'd be walker chow. I saw what she did for Daryl. That sure as hell puts her in my good books. Now let's just shut up and put some distance between us and that herd. Then we can look for a safe spot to stop until morning."

A tense silence fell over the bus again as the voices in Mia's head swirled back into the darkness.

* * *

><p>A blinding whiteness filled her eyes as they slowly began to open.<p>

"Ugh…"

Her mouth was parched and her throat felt like sandpaper. As she tried to turn her head her neck creaked like the rusted door of a long abandoned house. Once her eyes had finally readjusted to the light she took a slow look at her surroundings. _A lot of beds. Is this a hospital? _She thought, looking to her left. _No, there's bunk beds over there, don't be stupid Mia._ She looked up at the ceiling. _Very… woody. _The sun warmed her face and she could hear the chirping of birds. She felt eerily peaceful and for a second she forgot all about the walkers, and the horrors she had seen. Creaking her head to the right she blinked to refocus her eyes on the figure sat sharpening what looked like an arrow on the bed next to her.

"Whoa!" Startled, she sprang upright but immediately regretted it. Everything ached. She felt like she hadn't moved in weeks.

"Morning." Daryl glanced at her briefly and continued playing with his weapons. "How you feelin'?"

"Feel like my arthritis-riddled grandma went 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali then deep throated a cactus. How about you?" Mia had never been one to hold back on her words when she felt like crap.

"Take this." Daryl gently tossed his bottle of water to her.

"Thanks." As she went catch it, she felt a sharp tug and noticed a tube connecting her to a nearly empty bag of fluid hanging from a screw in the windowsill behind her. Exasperated, she turned to Daryl. "Ugh. What is going on?"

"How's the patient?" Carol walked in and perched on the edge of the bed beside her.

"See for yourself." Daryl picked up his crossbow and left.

"What's his problem?" Mia gestured to the door.

"Don't mind him, his bark's worse than his bite. He's been sat there pretty much day and night keeping an eye on you." Carol disconnected the fluid bag, freeing Mia's hand. "It was him who found you and brought you to us. If he hadn't done that I don't know where any of us would be right now."

"Wait… What do you mean, 'day and night'? How long was I out?" She strained to piece together the vague flashes of memory that had been dancing round her head while she was comatose. A mixture of strange voices and terrifying images: with only one flash of clarity. "Daryl…"

"That's the one." Carol smirked. "Maybe I should fill you in." Mia sat in dazed silence as Carol told her everything. The woods. The herd. Saving Daryl's life. Those bits she could almost patch together. What happened after was a mix of only darkness and mysterious voices.

* * *

><p>After the group escaped they drove for miles until they felt safe enough to stop. They set up camp and spent the remains of the day cleaning the bus until it was habitable enough to sleep. Carol had found enough equipment to set up a drip, and with it gave Mia at least some of the precious fluids she needed to counteract her blood loss. The next day they drove on. Without aim they just drove until nightfall and set up camp again. Carol had gone to change her dressings when her heart sank. Her leg wound had become infected, and despite all the pills they had found on the bus, there were no antibiotics. This flipped a switch in Daryl.<p>

Even though he wouldn't admit it, Carol knew exactly why. She could see it in his eyes every day for the last 3 months. She recognised it from the moment her missing daughter walked out of Hershel's barn undead. He blamed himself for Beth. He blamed himself for telling her to run. He blamed himself for not finding the car with the white cross. He blamed himself for getting to Atlanta too late. He blamed himself for not shooting Dawn sooner. He carried that guilt with him every day for 3 months. He had tried his best to push it down for the sake of the group; Maggie was so broken, he owed it to her, and to Beth, not to fall apart too. But when he saw the state of Mia's wound, to him it was Beth all over again, and that was too much to bear.

In the middle of the night, driven by an inexhaustible determination not to let history repeat itself, Daryl had set off, crossbow in hand to scout for supplies. Despite protests from the group, he was halfway up the road before they realised there was no stopping him. Instead of letting him go alone, a concerned Rick followed him into the unknown. The rest of the group barely slept a wink as they awaited their return. The next morning, Rick reappeared looking tired but triumphant, revealing that they had found an old campsite with a sturdy log cabin in a clearing in the woods. It had beds, it had food, it was safe, and it would be the perfect place to set up a more permanent camp. But judging by the look in Daryl's eyes as he silently stormed back to the group behind Rick, the one thing it didn't have was antibiotics.

Arriving at the campsite, Abraham had barely touched the breaks when Daryl opened the doors and stormed off into the trees with a small bag of supplies and his crossbow slung on his back. He was out of sight before anyone had time to properly react. As they unloaded the bus and any excitement at finding a good shelter was tarnished by worry for Daryl. Noah suggested sending a group out to find him, but those who had known him longest knew better. It'd be impossible to find him, and even if they did they'd only slow him down. So worry was all they could do.

The afternoon had barely begun when Carl noticed Mia was breathing funny, and sweating more than anyone should, even in the Georgia heat. The group spent the next few hours quietly making the cabin hospitable and securing the perimeter, as Carol tried desperately to keep Mia alive with whatever she could find. Her skin was sizzling with fever, and her breathing was raspy and shallow. Every now and then panic set in as her breath sounds momentarily became inaudible. Carol wasn't sure how long she could keep her going, and this just gave Abraham more fuel to argue about wasting resources.

Early the next morning Carol jumped out of her skin as a big bag of medical supplies was thrust at the floor besides her bed. She looked up to see an exhausted and beaten Daryl brandishing a small pill bottle.

"Don't let her die." He was close to breaking point as Carol hastily took the bottle of Penicillin and crushed it into a fine powder for her to mix into Mia's drip. Daryl sank into the bed next to her and did not leave her side for 3 days until he was sure her fever had subsided. When she screamed and thrashed from delirium, he held her down and comforted her. When her body dripped with sweat, he dabbed a wet cloth over her head and neck to cool her. And when the fever finally left and Mia still didn't wake up, he walked off into woods alone.

A deep humidity had clung in the air for days, desperate for release. Earlier that day the atmosphere had finally erupted. The rain beat down on Daryl soaking him to the bone. His top clung to his body and water dripped from his hair and into his eyes. But he didn't even notice. He had been walking for nearly an hour when he fell to the ground and screamed with every ounce of breath in his lungs. He screamed for Beth. He screamed for Bob. He screamed for Merle. He screamed for Sophia. He screamed for Hershel and Dale, for Lori and Andrea, for T-Dog, and even for that fucker Shane. But most of all he screamed for himself. Every second she was comatose reminded him of his failures. Any good he had ever done felt invisible to him in that moment. When they escaped the herd, he thought how maybe some higher power had led him to her. Now he felt like fate was mocking him.

He slouched forward panting, his throat hoarse and his mouth dry. A familiar groan emerged from the trees beside him. His screaming had attracted a small group of walkers who stumbled and groped at him. A white hot fury seared through his veins as he jumped up and decimated them one by one. Savagely he caved in their skulls with his bare fists and screamed in sheer rage as masses of bloody pulp squirted all over his face.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, the rain stopped and that familiar old Georgia sun peaked once again through the clouds. Daryl was laid on his back, breathless and sad, staring at the sky. He reached out his hand and could almost feel her clasp it as his memories took over his mind.

_You'll miss me when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon._

"Damn right I do, kid." He whispered into the breeze.

* * *

><p>He had no idea how long he'd been laying there staring up the flashes of sky through the leaves. Could have been minutes. Could have been hours. He was so lost in thought he barely knew where he was. If it hadn't have been for his keen tracking ear he could have stayed there forever, but his thoughts were interrupted by the snapping of twigs to his right. He jumped up, ready for action when his eyes met with a doe. Her beautiful golden fur glistened where the early evening light fell upon it, and her jet black eyes stared straight at his showing no fear. He was captivated. For a second he was sure he was dreaming.<p>

The sun went behind a cloud and the deer darted away in the direction of the campsite. Daryl couldn't shake the feeling that that was the same doe that had lead him to Mia.

_Mia…_

Daryl jumped on to his feet and started running after it. _What is with that thing?_ He thought as it disappeared into the trees. Suddenly he found himself back at the campsite, his face still spotted with blood, his chest heaving as his lungs finally caught up with him, and the whole group in suspended animation, staring at him wide-eyed and confused.

"Good timing. Your little pet-project is starting to come round." Abraham scoffed bitterly and carried on with what he was doing. Daryl rushed into the cabin and stopped beside Mia's bed, still panting.

"Daryl…"

He stood frozen to the spot and stared at her unsure what to do with himself as her eyes tried to open.

"Jacob…?"

And just like that she was out again.

Daryl joined the group as they sat down around the campfire to eat. He ate in silence as the others chattered away. _She said my name._ His mind went back to the deer in the woods. _Beth?_ He scowled at himself at the ridiculousness of it and looked up at Maggie, who was picking at her food and staring straight through it. Glenn was sat next to her encouraging her to eat but she didn't even seem to hear him. Daryl looked down at his hands. He hadn't even noticed how bruised they were. _What's happening to me?_

The group disappeared into the cabin as Daryl took first watch. He wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. Crossbow in hand, he climbed to the top of the bus and made himself comfortable. Things had been strangely quiet there since they set up camp. It felt safe, at least for now. It reminded him of the first camp, outside of Atlanta. That felt like decades ago, but seeing as he could barely keep track of what year it was, for all he knew it could have been. He laid back and looked at the stars twinkling in the clear night sky.

"Hey, can we talk?" Daryl's peace was interrupted as Carol peered up at him from below the bus.

"Depends what y'wanna talk about." He continued to stare at the stars.

"How you got that black eye." Carol climbed up and sat beside him.

"Then no." He didn't move.

"Daryl, I know you. You've not been yourself lately and you're scaring the others. We need you at full capacity. You've been our rock for so long." She sighed and laid next to him. "I know you blame yourself for Beth, and for Mis. But none of it is your fault. And Mia… she- she isn't Be- "

"No! You _don't_ know me! And I don't need this patronising bullshit!" He shot up and walked to the other end of the bus. His back to Carol, he slumped down and hugged one knee as his other leg dangled over the edge. She wanted to be shocked, but nothing with Daryl surprised her any more. She'd seen it all before. Not another word was spoken as she climbed off the bus and went to bed.

When she woke up the next morning, he was sat in his bunk sharpening his weapons and watching Mia come round. _Big and tough on the outside._ She thought, watching the small smile spread across his lips as Mia's eyes finally opened fully. _Soft and squishy on the inside._

* * *

><p>"8 days…" Mia stared at the floor in abject horror at the thought. "No wonder I feel like shit."<p>

"Just try to take sips of the water. If you're feeling well enough for food just let me know."

"Thank you. For everything. I owe you my life." Mia squeezed Carol's hand. She reached out and stroked Mia's arm.

"You just concentrate on getting back on your feet. Makes it all worthwhile." She smiled and got up to leave.

"Hey Carol? Speaking of which, I could do with some fresh air. I know you've already done so much for me, but do you think you could help me go outside? At least to the door? Please?" Mia pulled her best puppy dog eyes.

"Jesus girl, you don't take things slowly do you!" Carol smirked and took her arm. "Come on, that's it. Easy does it."

Mia pulled herself upright. "That's more like it. Ok I think I've got this." She let go of Carol and immediately tumbled into the bed. "Ok I've not got this."

Carol propped her upright again as Tyrese entered the cabin. He looked at them and beamed. "Hey sleeping beauty! Nice to see you on your feet! Sorta…"

"Little help here…" Carol gestured to Tyrese as he jumped to the rescue and took over as Mia's crutch.

"Thank you. I feel like such a prat right now." Mia blushed.

"A what? And no need to thank me. We all owe you a lot. It's Tyrese by the way." He smiled down at her.

"Sorry. It means I feel like a bit of an idiot. Sometimes I forget we don't share all the same words." She looked sad for a moment.

"I like it. 'Prat'_,_" He mocked in a terrible English accent. "I'll remember that one."

"And so it begins…" She looked up at him and chuckled. As she reached the door a delightful breeze danced around her cheeks. Its cool embrace felt so welcome after her apparent fever. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh forest air. "God that's nice. Thank you, Tyrese."

"Any time." He helped her down the 3 steps out of the building. "Your audience awaits."

"What?" Mia was slightly taken aback by the sea of welcoming smiles from the group. Mostly welcoming at least. They cheered as she made the final step.

"Hey sleeping beauty!" Glenn shouted from a pile of logs.

_What is with that? _She thought.

Almost as if he could read her mind Tyrese leaned down and whispered, "That sorta became your nickname. Sorry."

_Great._

"Thank you, thank you!" She made a joking bowing motion. "And for my next trick…" Letting go of Tyrese was a big mistake. She held on for a few seconds before her legs gave way beneath her. Daryl watched from behind a tree as he returned from his hunt. When Mia fell he felt his body lurch forward to catch her, even from so far away. He was relieved to see Tyrese wrap his tree trunk arms around her, and even giggled to himself as she blew her mass of hair from her face, embarrassed. Seeing her animated again made him feel happy for the first time in months, but he couldn't bring himself to face it. Instead he stayed hidden in the trees and watched silently.

"Maybe for your next trick you should get something to eat." Rick smiled warmly as he walked towards Mia. "It's great to see you up, but don't overdo it. We need people like you. Go get some rest and I'll bring you something to eat." He patted her on the shoulder and walked away.

"He seems nice." She smiled.

"Yeah. Rick's a good guy." He watched him relight the campfire. "Come on, let's get you back inside."

That night they returned to her. Daryl lay watching as she tossed and turned, breathing heavily and letting out muffled cries as images from the herd haunted her dreams. Unable to bare it he left his bed and knelt beside her. "Ssh. It's ok." As he stroked her arm to comfort her, her breathing slowed down and her body became still again. He stared at her for a moment and smiled before he realised what he was doing and snapped his arm back to his side. He climbed back into bed and turned his back away from Mia as he buried his head under his blanket.

_No. Not again._

* * *

><p>Mia sat and stared out the window, watching the group go about their day. She hadn't realised how much she missed being around people until she walked out of the cabin greeted by their warm smiles and cheers. She'd spent the past three months almost entirely alone. Sure she'd spent a day here and there with the odd person on the road, she'd even had offers to join camps, but as much as her head told her yes, her heart told her no. Not while he could still be out there.<p>

_Three months._ It sounded like a lifetime. It felt like a lifetime. She thought about the last time she saw him. She had scrambled up the large oak tree that stood at the end of the farm, feeling totally powerless as one by one her friends were devoured by a swarm of walkers. If she hadn't have gone on a supply run that day, she would have been right there with them. From the top of the tree she tried to get a better view without being seen. Maybe she could pick off a few, give her friends a chance. But there were just too many, it made no difference other than alerting the odd walker to where she was. She gave up and huddled herself into a ball against the trunk, eyes scrunched up and hands over her ears in a futile effort to block out the deafening screams and groans from below. That's when she heard him.

"Mia!"

She unfolded herself and scrambled to the edge of the branch.

"Mia, where are you?!"

Beside the barn, Jacob searched frantically. He had been out hunting and returned only minutes after Mia. She wished she could shout back, but the walkers were directly under her now. Any noise from her would have been suicide. She tried to wave at him, tried to get him to shut up. _Why was he screaming? Was he stupid?_ She felt her fists tighten in rage at the memory. The noise had attracted a large group of walkers who began chasing after him, and all Mia could do was watch as he ran off back into the woods.

It was morning before enough walkers had left the area for her to safely leave the tree. Picking off the last of them, she headed toward the farmhouse. She couldn't hold back the tears as she witnessed the aftermath. The body parts of her friends lay covered in flies. Hands she'd once held, legs she'd once run alongside. There was no dignity in death any more. Bullets and shell casing littered the ground with desperation. There weren't enough bullets in the world to pick off that herd. A few of the victims had turned, and it pained her to plunge her knife into their heads but she knew that's what they would have wanted. It was only when she got to the porch that it truly sunk in. In the arms of what had once been the farmer's wife, laid a baby girl.

"Lexi?" To her horror, Lexi's once beautiful blue eyes were glazed white as a tiny but ghastly groan escaped her lungs. Mia fell back and sobbed is it all finally hit her. Her once strong group had been decimated and all that was left was a carpet of bloody body parts and the world's tiniest walker.

_What the heck do you call a walker that hadn't even learned to walk? _She pondered sadly as the image of a healthy Lexi giggling at Peek-A-Boo haunted her mind. Mia adored that child. It was her stayed with Janey through her labour. Her who helped to control her pain, and focus on her breathing. Her who checked how dilated she was, who told her when to push, and who manoeuvred the wailing little prune out into the world. It was her who checked everything was present and correct when her exhausted mother finally got to sleep that night. And it was her that sobbed as she sunk her pocket knife into her tiny skull. She could almost feel it again as she looked up and noticed Tyrese and Sasha playing with Judith by the campfire.

She had spent the rest of that day digging graves for her fallen friends. She'd never really had religion, but she prayed for them anyway as she sat on a small pile of leaves in front of the impromptu cemetery. Her seat felt strangely lumpy and she shuffled to the side to reveal a gun hidden among the dead foliage. She picked it up and held it in her hands, staring at the blisters and cuts adorning her palms from hours of shovelling earth. The cold metal of the gun felt almost soothing against the soreness of her skin. Maybe that wasn't all the relief the gun could give her. The idea of permanent release from the world felt soothing also. She was so tired of hurting. They had finally got a good thing going: she had felt safe, had food and shelter, made friends. She was happy. But in minutes it had all gone. She felt more isolated than she had ever felt in the 2 years since the outbreak. She was so impossibly far away from home and everything she knew. There was nothing left for her now. She was truly alone.

She pointed the barrel of the gun to her head and closed her eyes. The sun was warm against her face and she felt peaceful as images of rolling hills and bright purple heather swept across her mind.

_I'm coming home, mum._

Her finger froze on the trigger.

_Mum… Jacob!_

Moments from death her mind became clear. In her grief she had convinced herself that seeing Jacob escape was just a dream, but in a last ditch effort to survive her brain snapped into sense and her adrenaline surged. _I've got to find him, _she thought as she packed a large duffle bag with her sparse belongings and set of supplies, and ran off into the woods.

_Three months._ It really had been too long. Even though every lead came to a dead end, she clung to the ever-fading hope that he was still alive and out there. Somewhere he was looking for her too, she felt sure of it. She almost drove herself crazy but still she searched. She was chasing a lead when the next herd hit. She had met a family on the road who had come across a man fitting his description. Last they had seen of him was heading toward a settlement a few days walk from where she was. They had warned her to be careful but she brushed it off. She'd made it so far, she knew what she was doing. The next day she found herself being picked up by a gruff-voiced stranger and before she knew it, another 8 days had passed.

_Three months, eight days. _It sounded absurd. Three months, eight days chasing a pipedream. Finding him amongst the vast Georgia countryside was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The more she thought about it the more sure she was. She hated to admit it but she'd been running from it for so long. Looking out at the group once more confirmed it. She couldn't do it anymore. What was one more open end when her whole life back home was an unsolved mystery?

"I'm sorry, big brother." She closed her eyes and let the tears fall. "I've got to let you go."

* * *

><p>Rick walked in on her wiping the tears from her now blotchy red face.<p>

"It ain't exactly Michelin star quality, but it ain't that bad." He joked, passing her a tin bowl of what probably could have passed as some kind of meat broth. What kind of meat, nobody could be sure, but as long as it was edible, nobody cared.

"Thanks. I could eat _you_ right now." Rick looked slightly taken aback. "Bad joke. Sorry." She chuckled.

Rick sat down beside her. "You ok?"

"I will be." She looked at him and forced a smile. "Are you? You look like you have something on your mind."

"I…" He sighed. "I don't even know if you can remember, so this is probably pointless, but I wanted to apologise for the way I treated you before."

"What do you mean?" Mia looked puzzled.

"When you woke up and told us about the herd, I started asking you these questions. It pissed off some of the others. I don't know what came over me but I guess I panicked. It's just…" He fumbled for the right words. "We've been through a lot. It's hard to trust people these days. At least with walkers you know where you stand. But people…" His voice trailed. "I'm just sorry. It was wrong and I shouldn't have done it."

"It's ok, I get it. I've been there. Everyone needs something to feel like they're still in control. And hey, I could be anyone." She playfully nudged Rick and smiled. "Seriously though, I'm happy to answer any questions you have. I don't want you guys to feel uncomfortable. You've done so much for me it's the absolute least I can do. I've seen what secrets and lies do to people. I've-" A wave of nausea hit her as she uttered her next words. "I've been on the receiving end, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Whatever you want to know I'll tell you."

"Thank you. If you feel up to it tonight, come by the campfire for dinner. We can introduce you properly to everyone and talk about this then." Rick got up to leave.

"It's a date." She winked at him as he walked out of the cabin.

Mia had just finished eating when she noticed Daryl standing in the doorway watching her. He was covered in chips of wood and holding something behind his back. Mia thought he was incredibly strange. Quiet and stern, tough and aloof: he never seemed to waste his breath on words he didn't need to say. She often wondered if this really was the same person everyone said had picked her up in the woods that day. Sometimes he didn't seem to care. Sometimes he was just plain rude. Carol had assured her that he was just going through a rough time. It made sense she supposed. He didn't think she'd noticed, but she knew what he did when she had nightmares. Then there were the times he seemed like a lost little schoolboy, somehow shy and self-conscious. This was one of those times.

"Is there something particularly exciting about that doorway or are you actually going to grace me with your presence?" She joked and tilted her head at him.

Daryl walked in with his usual aloofness, but Mia could see he was blushing. "I, er, got you something."

"Let me guess… Brad Pitt is alive and well and waiting for me outside in nothing but a loin cloth?" Daryl tried not to laugh. "Is that a _smile_ I see? Is _that_ what you got me?" She teased.

"Something like that." He gave a wry smile and brought his hand out from behind his back. In it was a long piece of wood, about a foot shorted than her. The top was padded with what looked like part of a pillow, and out of the side, another small piece of wood stuck out awkwardly, wrapped in a cloth. If you squinted and tilted your head a certain way, one could almost mistake it for a crutch. "I thought it'd help you get about."

Mia was speechless, which wasn't something that came easily to her. It may have been crude, but he had clearly worked hard on it given their limited materials. Carol was right. Maybe she had been too quick to judge. "Thank you. I… I don't know what to say." She looked up at him and smirked. "I mean it's no Brad Pitt but I think I can live with that."

Daryl smiled and shook his head. "Come on. Try it out." He handed her the makeshift crutch and helped her onto her feet. She wobbled about trying to find her balance. "If it's too big I can adjust the bottom."

"Nah, it's fine." She said, tongue stuck out and touching her top lip as she concentrated hard on trying not to topple over.

"Just fine?" Daryl scowled.

"Sorry I meant-" Mia was surprisingly embarrassed. Daryl's scowl rapidly turned into a smile and she realised it was her turn to be played. "Hey… looks like the tough guy has a sense of humour after all!"

"Don't get used to it." He grabbed her as she lost her balance. "Whoa. You ok?"

"Yeah, sorry. I always hated playing patient. Always felt wrong to be on the other si-" She stopped herself suddenly.

"Huh?" Daryl looked puzzled.

"Nothing. It's- nothing." Mia felt herself trembling. Her breath started to quicken and suddenly she felt her food creeping up her oesophagus. "I can't- oh God."

"It's ok, I got you." Daryl took back the crutch and picked her up off her feet. He felt completely out of his depth as he laid her on the bed and watched the colour drain from her face. "I'll get Carol."

"No! No. It's ok. I'm ok. I'm sorry." She panted, really shaking now. It took every bit of strength not to throw up. "I'm fine. Thank you. I just- I think I need to be alone for a second."

"I ain't leaving you like this."

"Please! Please. I'm ok. Really." She inhaled deeply and blew out slowly through her mouth.

"Ok." Daryl had no idea what to say. "I got shit to do I guess. Later."

"Daryl wait!" He was almost out of the door. "Thank you. For this I mean." She gestured at the crutch. "And for everything. Carol told me what you did for me. I owe you, really."

His head still facing the door, she saw it hang as he stopped in his tracks. "You saved my ass, kid. I saved yours. We're even." He walked out without saying another word.

* * *

><p>That evening Rick walked into the cabin to check on Mia and was surprised to find her almost at the door. "Daryl made me it." She could tell by the look on his face he was confused. "It has a certain rustic charm, don't you think?" She giggled.<p>

"That's one way of putting it. Come on, let me help you." Rick reached out to her but she waved him away.

"I'm ok, really. I wanna get used to being on my feet again. This isn't the kinda world to be immobile." She said with a determined look on her face.

"Ok… but if you hurt yourself Carol will feed me to the walkers."

Slowly she made it to the fire with Rick hovering beside her, ready to catch her if she fell. Carol made room between herself and Tara and Mia lowered herself onto the log they were sat on. Rick went round to sit with Carl, who placed Judith on his lap.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves properly." Tara went to shake Mia's hand. "I'm Tara."

"Hi." She shook her hand and smiled.

"I think you've met Carol." Tara joked. Pointing clockwise around the circle she introduced the group one by one. Lastly she came to Abraham who stared Mia down with piercing eyes.

"Don't worry about him." Carol whispered. "He's just weird with people he doesn't know."

Mia remembered what she had to do and looked over at Rick. As she caught his gaze he nodded, and she nodded back. _It's ok, _she thought. _I'm ready._

"How many walkers ha-?"

"Rick, come on." Michonne interrupted in protest.

"It's ok. I asked him to do this." Mia smiled at Michonne. "Go on."

"How many walkers have you killed?" He looked at Mia in anticipation.

"I've lost count." She glanced over at Daryl with a wry smile. "But apparently at least one." The group laughed as Daryl smiled back at her.

"How many people have you killed?" Rick continued. Mia hesitated as her blood ran cold. She swallowed and looked down.

"Two."

Abraham whispered under his breath but Mia couldn't make out what. Rick was surprised at her revelation but continued without hesitation as a hush fell over the group.

"Why?"

"The first was a man who raped me." She lifted her head in a vague attempt to feel strong but she could feel herself trembling again.

Carol felt a rush of empathy. Her life with her abusive husband seemed like a bad dream but every now and then she was reminded of the weak shadow of a woman she once was. She reached out and held Mia's now clenched hand. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Mia nodded in appreciation as her hand relaxed again.

"And the second?" A gruff voice snarled from her right.

"Huh?"

"The second. You said you killed two people." Abraham was looking at her with distain. Rosita nudged him hard in the side and scowled at him.

"I- yeah. Sorry. Erm, the second was my best friend. It's a long story." The words hurt to come out, but she felt like she needed to say them if she was ever truly going to come to terms with them. "I guess I should start from the beginning."

* * *

><p>"You don't have to." Carol squeezed her hand. "It can wait."<p>

"If I don't now then I never will." She took a deep breath and started. "I made a bucket list, a lifetime ago. You know, a list of things you want to do before you die? Well my number one was to visit every US state, and collect a corny souvenir from each place I visited. Stupid I know but the heart wants what it wants. I'd grown up in the North of England. Where I'm from, Yorkshire, people are very proud of their heritage and I was no exception. But I was totally obsessed with America. You grow up watching this country in the movies and you want a slice of it, you know?" She laughed. "I have- I _had_ family in Los Angeles so I had already started my collection with this beautiful painted shot glass I bought on Santa Monica Pier one time. I had another from Las Vegas when my cousins drove me there for a weekend of debauchery. Some debauchery… The drinking age at home was 18, so at 19 years old I expected a romp around the bars and casinos like some kind of Bond Girl. But instead it was a weekend of getting thrown out of bars and casinos like some kind of bum."

A few snickers from the group made Mia smile. "I met Kate, my friend, at university. As we got to know each other, we realised we both shared the dream of the great American road trip and we started to save money to put towards it. It took us 4 years, but eventually we saved enough to do the coast-to-coast from Florida to California. We thought it'd be a great start and that way we could stop with my family before we flew home. I told my mum about it and she freaked. She was always so protective." She tutted at the memory. "The only way she'd let me go is if I took my older brother with us. He jumped at the chance. He was, as he put it, 'in between jobs' and looking for something to give his life meaning. We waited until I finished uni, and the day after I graduated we set off. We rented this amazing black Mustang, just to really get into the spirit of things. God that car was beautiful.

"We made it only as far as Atlanta when shit went down." She looked down with sadness. "We'd been ok on our own for a few months, but as time went on it got harder. Eventually we found this town. It was heavily guarded and we thought maybe it was some sort of military safe zone. When they let us in it we realised it was civilian led, but they had done such a good job of securing it we felt safe. It was amazing, like nothing had ever happened. They had electricity, good food, a small hospital. Kids played outside free and happy. People walked their dogs down the main street during the day, and slept peacefully in their beds at night. We thought we'd hit the jackpot. It was all led by this really charismatic guy, Phillip. We decided to stay. We didn't know the area, and we had nowhere else to go. Kate was exhausted and depressed and I don't think she would have lasted much longer outside."

Mia was careful with her next words. "I… helped out where I was needed. Kate started a relationship with one of the other survivors. Jacob, my brother, helped out with supply runs and guarding the gates. We made it work. I even made a few friends. There was this one guy we'd met before in rather different circumstances. We found him hobbling down the road, dripping with blood from where his hand once was. He said he had to cut it off to escape from walkers. I helped him patch it up and he repaid us by nicking off with our car. I had to laugh when I met him again. He'd made himself this hook and he looked so ridiculous. He was Phillip's right-hand man – er – so to speak." She couldn't supress her giggle. "Awkward…" She looked around confused as some of the group stared at her with concerned expressions. Still she carried on.

"He was a bit of an arsehole on the surface. Really crude, always being sleazy with the women. But I could handle him. Deep he down he seemed pained, like everything shitty he said was some kind of defence mechanism. He used to talk about his brother a lot. He always seemed so much softer when he did. Apparently he died when Merle lost his arm."

Daryl tensed up. Those who knew him the longest knew exactly why but they daren't say a word.

"Anyway I digress. So we'd settled down, but then weird shit started happening. They set up this arena type thing and every night hosted fights between Phillip's group of henchmen. Eventually Jacob joined in. He always wanted to prove himself to be this tough guy but I knew it was all bullshit." She took a deep breath. "Then they added walkers into the mix. They'd capture them on their supply runs and used them to heighten the atmosphere during the fights. A couple of guys got bitten in the process. That just seemed to fuel the crowd. I felt sick the whole time. I told Jacob I how I felt but he thought I was crazy. Then Phillip gave himself this stupid title and nobody would call him by his real name any more. Everyone seemed oblivious but working so closely with him I knew things were going to turn nasty. So one day I decided to leave. Kate refused to join me, saying she was in love with this guy, I can't even remember his name. What hurt more was when Jacob said he wanted to stay. We argued but he wouldn't change his mind. I decided to leave anyway.

"I packed up my things and snuck out through this gap in the fence. I don't think I'd gone barely a mile before they tracked me down and took me back. They tied me up and locked me in this room. It was freezing cold and stank of piss and stale blood. Phillip came in and spun some BS about how everybody had a role, and everybody was needed to make things work. He said if one cog fell the whole thing would fall apart. He said he wouldn't let me leave as long as I was useful to him. When I told him he was crazy, he decided to give me a reminder of who was in charge." Mia started to shake.

"That's enough, it's ok. We don't need to hear more." Rick looked at her with deep concern knowing exactly what was coming.

"No! I have to." She started to cry. "If I don't it will always have power over me."

Carol put her arm around her. "It's ok. Go on."

"Thank you." Mia couldn't control the trembling. "He- he beat me until I was almost unconscious. Then he left the room and let his henchmen in." She was seconds from vomiting as the adrenaline surged through her veins. The memories felt so real as the images formed in front of her.

_Merle tore off her clothes with his hook. Laughing he grabbed her face and squeezed it hard as he slobbered over her lips. Throwing her back, he unzipped his trousers and pulled them down. He grabbed her throat and forced himself inside her. She tried to scream from the pain but his grip on her throat was too tight. She was close to passing out when he made a final hard thrust and punched her across the face. Zipping himself back up he whistled for the next guy… _

"Five of them raped me that night. Even Merle. That hurt the most. I read him so wrong." Her head fell into her hands as she began to sob. She didn't notice Daryl storm off behind the bus. Even he couldn't hide the tears as Mia poured her heart out. He knew his brother was no saint but this revelation felt like a knife to the gut.

Mia took a deep breath, wiped her face and continued. "I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. Internal injuries, head trauma, the whole shebang. I wished I was dead. Phillip told the town I had been attacked on a supply run by another group. He used it as propaganda to keep them all scared and dependent on him. Jacob knew he was lying and when he finally came to see me he told me he was going to get us out of there. When I was well enough to leave, I approached Kate again and told her our plan. She wished us well but refused to leave. I tried so hard to get her to come but once she had something in her head there was no convincing her otherwise. With Jacob's help leaving was so much easier. He used his intel from the other guards to orchestrate it perfectly. We were about to leave when I saw one of the guys who attacked me sitting on his own laughing at this stupid fucking comic book he always read. I flipped and went straight for him. He had this machete attached to his belt. I managed to relieve him of it and sliced it straight through his neck. I'll never regret what I did that night.

"As for Kate…" She finally stopped trembling. "It must have been well over a year since we left the town. Me and Jacob had eventually joined a group at this farm in the middle of nowhere. We had a good thing going there. One day I had gone on a supply run with one of the other survivors. We came across what I guess was once a prison. It looked like a warzone. There was a tank in the grounds, and rubble everywhere, still smoking. We thought it had maybe been something to do with the military when we saw her. Kate was roaming the grounds with a few of the other survivors I had left behind with her. God knows what had happened there but I guess Phillip had finally lost the plot completey. We found what was left of his body among the grass. As much as I wanted to get out of there, I couldn't leave her in that state. So before we left I lured her towards where we were hiding and stabbed her in the skull with my pocket knife. We carried her body back with us. Somehow it kept the walkers off our backs. We buried her that night."

Mia looked up. She hadn't expected them to react positively but this was beyond what she could imagine. Maggie and Michonne were holding hands and quietly whimpering. Glenn's fists were trembling as he clenched them so hard he drew blood. She saw it drip from between his fingers. Tara had her head buried in her hands. Carol had gone to comfort Daryl who was sobbing out of sight. Only Rick was looking at her, but with a fire in his eyes that intimidated her.

"What was the name of that town?" The words squeezed slowly through gritted teeth.

"I don't- I don't understand." Mia was taken aback.

"I just need to hear you say it." He snapped. "What was the name of the town?"

Mia wasn't sure if answering him would be the right thing. She was scared and confused. What on earth about her story could have sparked such a reaction? She thought back to what she had said. _Surely they didn't know it. How could they? They were so far away from it all._ She looked around at the now broken group, and felt compelled to speak. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Woodbury." She opened her eyes. "The name of the town was Woodbury."

**End of Part 2**


	3. Part 3: Silver Linings

**[Author's Note] ****Apologies for the late one! Been very busy with deadlines,Crimbo celebrations, friends' birthdays and graduations so I've not had much chance to stop, let alone write :( BUT never fear for CharBop is here with Part 3 of The Wrong Side of the Pond.**

**As always critique is welcome! I'm not sure if this is any good tbh, I wrote it largely in a post-deadline delirium so apologies in advance :)**

**Stay tuned for Part 4: 'Truth' coming soon!**

**Whatever you celebrate (or don't), Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone!**

**Love,  
>CharBop<br>**

**xox**

* * *

><p><strong>Part 3: Silver Linings<strong>

Rick didn't say another word to her that night. He picked his daughter up and took her to bed in silence. Mia sat dumbfounded as one by one the group made their excuses and left. Only Abraham remained.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Mia wasn't listening. She was too confused.

"What you been through. I'm sorry." Abraham stared into the fire.

"_I'm_ sorry. I guess I'll be adding professional killjoy to my apocalypse CV." For such a warm day the night had turned shockingly cold. Mia hoisted herself off the log and sat on the ground closer to the fire. Staring into the flames she let out a deep sigh. "I don't get it. I was just trying to be honest."

"I don't know what happened to them exactly, but from what I've gathered they've been through hell. Shit like that stays with ya." He got up to leave.

"Abraham wait." She looked up and tried to meet his eyes but he continued to stare ahead. "Look. I know you don't trust me, and I don't know what I have to do to change your mind. But that's fine. I get it. I really do. I just wanted you to know that."

Abraham sighed and turned to look at her. "When I said I was sorry, I meant it." Beneath his fiery moustache he flashed her a knowing smile and left to take first watch.

Mia sat huddled by the dying embers of the fire and stared at the specks of orange and red desperately gleaming through the ashes. _Always gotta open your big gob._ She felt nothing but regret as she mulled over what happened. All she wanted was to be honest, though maybe it was more for herself than the others. In all the time that had passed since she left Woodbury she had never spoken about what happened. She'd tried to ball it up and press it as far down as she could. There were always more important things to think about, she tried to convince herself. Always better things to do. Dwelling on the past wouldn't help her get through the future. The group at the farm swore by it.

_"Don't let the past swallow you whole,"_ Kyle always used to say: such forward thinkers. Living at the farm was almost luxurious, all because Kyle and Janey had invested in solar panels in a new age bid to save the planet. In a way they did, at least as far as Mia was concerned. For almost a year she had the pleasure of warm showers and hair straighteners to tame her tousled mane.

All that time, the repressed memories ate away at her, burrowing into her soul. She had always prided herself on being a strong woman - she had had to overcome a lot in life to make it to where she was – but in the three months since the herd hit the farm, slowly she began to crumble. Soon only the smallest triggers would see her a quivering wreck, gasping for breath and fighting to hold down whatever morsel of food she'd ingested. She couldn't live like that anymore. Whatever the reaction from the others, at least she could feel herself trying to heal. _Silver linings I guess._

* * *

><p>"Got a minute?" Looking up, Mia noticed Daryl standing beside her. He seemed drained; eyes puffy and red. She hadn't even heard him approach.<p>

"Well I'm in the middle of a very important conference call and I've got a meeting with the President in 10 minutes. But I think I can squeeze you in, seeing as it's you." She tried to flash him a smile but her face didn't get the memo.

"Why do you do that? Always with the jokes!" Daryl snapped.

"Because if I don't laugh, I'll cry. And I don't think I'd be able to stop myself if I did." Mia didn't appreciate being treated with such distain when she still didn't know what she did wrong. "Look, was that it? If you wanna talk then by all means spit it out. But if you've got nothing to say then please, just leave me alone. I feel crappy enough as it is."

"I just need to get some facts straight. The guy you mentioned. The one that..." His voice tried to escape him as he tried to rethink the words. "The one that you said you got close to- No. Shit. The one-"

"The one that raped me?" Mia looked him dead in the eyes. "Well you'll have to be more specific. I had the pleasure of many men that night." Daryl wanted to hurl at the thought.

"Merle. You said his name was Merle." His mouth went dry. He was fighting a losing battle with his stomach. "Was that definitely his name?"

"Oh yes. And not one I'm ever likely to forget." She felt her face burn hot with rage and fear as the memories of his hand around her throat surged through her brain.

"Can you… describe him?" He was on a mission. He had to be sure.

"I can tell you in great detail what his dick looked like!" She snapped as she started to lose her patience. "What is this? You getting some sick little kick off this?!" Mia felt her fists clench, unsure if out of anger or fear.

Daryl swallowed as he realised what he was saying, but he had to press on. "I'll explain. I just- I just need to know. Please."

"I swear to whatever God is supposedly out there that I will kill you if this is some kind of twisted game you're playing with me, Daryl Dixon." She took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm herself. "He was probably in his early 50s. Real redneck… but he liked to read. He was violent, misogynistic, racist, sleazy, just an all-round dick. But he really liked to read." She had always found that very strange. "Anyway. Short hair, stubble. Oh and tiny detail, easy to miss, he had a _knife_ _for a hand_!"

Mia looked at Daryl with a stern look on her face, but this quickly melted when he crumpled to the floor.

"No…" He whispered to himself, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Daryl?" As pissed as she was at him, it all dissipated into nothingness at the site of him, white as a sheet and shaking. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"He weren't no saint, but a fucking rapist?!" His food was almost in his throat. "I swore to Rick that he wasn't that kinda guy. I fucking swore it!"

"Hey. Ssh. Daryl please, what are you talking about?" She leaned over to comfort him but he shot up on his feet and started pacing back and forth.

"He was my brother! He was my fucking brother." Mia stared at him with a mixture of horror, sadness, and disbelief. Tears stung at her eyes as she tried her best to maintain some modicum of strength.

"He was your what?" The words slid out slowly.

"My big brother! He was my fucking world!" He shouted. "He did some nasty shit in his time but he ain't never laid his hand on a woman!"

"Well he fucking did!" She screamed and tried to stand but her leg was having none of it and she whimpered from the pain. She took a deep breath and forced back the tears. "Daryl. I'm so sorry, but I'm not lying. I've lied to myself about it for too long. I've had to live with that every day, every fucking day, for nearly 2 years. I wish I could tell you something different, but I can't."

"He was my fucking world, man." He fell to his knees and broke down. "I'm sorry. So so sorry..."

Mia's mind was racing. The guy that swept her up and rescued her from bleeding to death alone in the woods. The guy that fought for days to find her the medication she needed to survive. The guy that carved her a crutch with his bare hands. The guy that was now sobbing like a lost little boy. _He_ was related to that monster? She wanted so desperately to hate him; she finally had someone to channel the months of repressed rage towards. She wanted to hit him, kick him, scream at him, unleash everything she had ever wanted to do to Merle and the other sick sons of bitches that attacked her that night. But instead all she could do was stare at this broken man and imagine what it would have been like if it was Jacob they were talking about. She knew Daryl wasn't anything like his brother. He'd proven that. She'd seen how he held Judith, how Rick looked up to him, how Carol trusted him. He was a good person, almost vulnerable; he couldn't help who he was related to.

She gave in and put an arm around him. "Ssh. It's ok. I've got you." The tears stung again but this time she allowed them to fall. "You don't have to be sorry for his mistakes. There's only one thing to blame and that's whatever nastiness caused the world to fall apart."

He collapsed into her. His muscles felt weak; drained of any life and energy his last meal had given him. As the tears slowed down and his breathing recovered, he wiped his face with his hand and stared into the final glimmers of heat in the fire pit. Shutting his eyes and breathing deeply, his blood ran cold.

_I have no brother._

* * *

><p>Sasha laid awake staring at the ceiling. Memories of Woodbury and the prison raced through her mind. She looked down at her belly and smiled. She was starting to show. <em>No doubts now, little one. <em>She thought as she stroked the little hump under her t-shirt. _What if none of that had happened? Would you still be here?_ The memories hurt but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe they were necessary.

"Can't sleep?" Tyrese whispered from the next bed. He turned on his side to face his sister.

"Nah. I can't stop thinking about what Mia said."

"Me neither." He looked at Sasha stroking her tiny bump and smiled. "You're gonna struggle to hide that soon."

"I know. It's starting to feel real now." She let out a deep sigh. "If we'd never met these guys, if we'd have carried on going that day, this little one wouldn't be here. Even though we went through hell, I wouldn't change a thing."

"Really? I can name a few things I'd change." Tyrese felt his heart skip a beat thinking of his lost love. "God I miss Karen."

"I'm sorry. I miss Bob too. But I just mean we gotta look forward now; if not for us but for her." She tapped her belly.

"It's a 'her' now?" Tyrese smirked.

"Well, I always wanted a little girl." She smiled.

* * *

><p>When Daryl had calmed down he felt more exhausted than he had ever felt in his life. He didn't have the energy to walk the few steps to the cabin and into his bed. Instead he laid himself on the ground and watched the stars, trying desperately to empty his mind. Eventually he succeeded and his body dropped to sleep. Mia looked back to see him sleeping like a baby, eyes still puffy. He looked so vulnerable.<p>

_How could he be related to that monster?_

Looking around for her crutch she realised it was behind the log she had been sat on. She huffed as she made a motion to crawl towards it. Her leg was really sore, perhaps from all the walking she had been practicing that afternoon she wondered. She felt it cease and suddenly she was blindsided by a deep cramp. "Crap, crap, crap, fucking crap. Argh!" she whispered sharply to herself and lay down where she sat. She stretched out her leg and flexed her foot as best she could and eventually the cramp settled. Resting her head on the ground she looked up at the night sky and gave in to slumber.

It was a warm night but the breeze was cunningly cold. It caught Mia's unconscious body by surprise. Daryl opened his eyes to find her curled in a ball, her back to him, shivering fervently. His body on autopilot and not awake enough to find a blanket; he shuffled himself forward and, pressing his body against hers, wrapped his arms around her and dropped back to sleep. After a few minutes, as their body heat began to mingle, Mia's body relaxed.

It was Carol's turn to watch for walkers, but instead she felt compelled to watch the fire pit. She was desperately worried about Daryl. Despite everything Merle had done, she knew he adored his brother and couldn't begin to imagine how he must have felt at Mia's revelation. She wasn't surprised though. Whatever Daryl had said, she knew Merle was only ever a step away from doing such a thing. She could see it in his eyes. It was the same look she'd seen in Ed when he was around their daughter. She closed her eyes and shuddered at the thought. _How can a man look that way at his own child? _

Wiping her face with her hand she focused back on Daryl. A strange sense of relief washed over her as she watched him sleep. _Almost peaceful… _It would be his turn to take watch soon, but how could she wake him after everything? _No. _She thought._ I wasn't going to sleep anyway._

* * *

><p>It was still dark when Mia began to rouse. Eyes bleary in her semi-conscious state she looked down to see an arm wrapped around her. <em>What the…? <em>Too tired to fully react she buried her head in her pillow. _Wait… Where's it gone?_ Her eyes opened fully and she looked at the ground around her. She turned her head and discovered Daryl pressed to her back and fast asleep. Unsure what to do she lay frozen. She hadn't let anyone get that close since that night in Woodbury. Suddenly she felt herself tremble. She closed her eyes and focussed on her breathing. _He isn't that kind of person. He isn't that kind of person, _she chanted to herself as a tear slid down her face and disappeared into her hair.

Daryl woke up with a sharp intake of breath and saw Mia shaking again. Instinctively he put his arm back around her.

"Please… no…" A tiny voice whimpered from beneath a mass of hair. Daryl looked over to see Mia was stiff and pale.

"What's wrong?" He tried to catch her eyes but they were fixed straight ahead. Worried, he hopped over to face her. "Mia?"

Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. As he tried to reach out to her she finally met his gaze. He froze as it dawned on him. _She's scared of me._

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" He was lost for words. _What do you even say to that?_ Daryl watched her, powerless. Figuring she needed some time alone, he got up to leave. "I'd never hurt you."

Mia felt her body thaw as her breath began to stutter. Almost 2 years of fear and grief rained out of her eyes. In a ball on the ground she wept for every minute of pain she'd experienced that night. Every thrust. Every punch. Though it ached to remember, with each tear she felt a catharsis unlike which she had ever known. Suddenly she felt her hand snap out to grab Daryl's.

"Wait! Don't leave." Sobbing, she choked on the words. "Hold me again."

"What?"

"Just… Hold me."

Daryl looked at her in disbelief. Why now? She looked so fragile. So broken. He couldn't even begin to imagine what they must have done to her; even trying made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Please, Daryl?"

Mia felt her heart sink as he walked away and disappeared into the cabin. She had forgotten what real human contact had felt like. The odd hug here and there she could cope with, but to lie next to someone and feel the heat of their body against hers had only brought back the memories. But this time it was different. Maybe it was part of the healing process. She felt that begin when she told the group what she had been through. Or maybe she had simply been starved of intimacy for too long. Regardless, Daryl's rejection felt like a knife to the gut. She curled into a tight ball and sobbed.

It was barely minutes later when she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up to see Daryl hovering above her, pillows and blanket in hand. "If we're gonna lay out here all night, we might as well get comfortable."

Mia could hardly believe her eyes has he knelt down beside her and gently slid a pillow under her head. He placed his behind her and opened out a big blanket. Settling into a comfortable position, he draped it over them both before wrapping his arms around her once more.

"Don't go making a habit of this." He was sure he caught her smile again as he placed his head on his pillow and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Rick spent the night watching his little girl sleeping peacefully in the makeshift crib they had made from the less sturdy beds in the cabin. <em>If only she could understand the world she lived in now.<em> He envied her innocence, but his heart broke for the life she would never know. _Lori was right._ _All she's ever gonna know is pain. _He thought about how he reacted back at the campfire. Mia had poured her heart out, told them unspeakable things that clearly pained her, and all he could think about was _'what if that had been Judith?'_ In that moment he couldn't have cared less about Mia, as he imagined his baby girl growing up surrounded by that kind of depravity, screaming for help that never came.

Picking Judith up, she didn't even stir. He held her in his arms and rocked her gently. _You are so perfect. _He thought as he held her close. _So like your mother._ Woodbury had been the wakeup call he needed after Lori's death. If he hadn't have had the push to snap out of it, he would probably still be languishing in his grief, seeing his wife everywhere he looked, and neglecting the baby girl that needed him so badly. All the things they had been through had given them something, in some twisted way.

"What's that they say about clouds? Well you're my silver lining." He kissed Judith on the forehead and placed her back in the crib.

* * *

><p>"Can we talk?"<p>

Mia lifted her face from the water cooler and fumbled around for something to dry herself. "Sure just can you hand me that cloth first please? Kinda hard to talk when I can't see who I'm talking to." She wiped her eyes to see Rick standing beside her, squinting in the morning sun.

"Listen, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about last night." Rick could barely look her in the eye. "It was out of order just leaving like that."

"Well I gotta say that wasn't quite how I was expecting it to go." Mia folded her arms and leaned against the cooler. "Daryl told me about Merle, but I'm guessing that isn't the full story."

Rick sighed and looked up to face her. "Mia, you ain't the only one with a bitter taste in their mouth over Woodbury. That prison you mentioned - the one you found your friend in – we were there. It was our home for a while until The Governor took it from us. Those bodies, those walkers… some of them were our friends."

Mia could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "They always used to say it was a small world but this is ridiculous. Dare I ask what happened?"

"Well seeing as you started from the beginning, I guess it makes sense for me to do the same." Rick leant against the cabin wall and explained everything that had happened since they left the CDC in the first weeks of the outbreak: Sophia, the farm, the prison, Woodbury, the Governor's attack, right up to Terminus and Grady Memorial.

When he was done, Mia stared into space utterly gobsmacked. "Wow. I- I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry. Poor Maggie, she's lost so much. No wonder she seems so sad all the time."

"I think Beth was the final straw you know?"

"Sounds it. I guess that explains what Kate was doing there too. Do you… remember her?" Mia felt a great sense of sadness and regret. "Was she happy?"

"I didn't know her well, but I did know a British girl there. I can't remember her name but it must have been her. That's the best I can do I'm afraid." Rick tried hard to think of the faces that came to them from Woodbury the day the town fell, but by now they had all blurred and faded.

"That's ok. I guess it's no good worrying about it now. She's at rest. That's all that matters." She sighed deeply and swallowed back a tear.

"That's another thing. Last night, you said you'd killed two people. But Kate…" He tried to choose his words carefully, but was interrupted.

"I know what you're going to say. And I get it. But Kate wasn't a walker. Not to me. She was like my sister. Every walker was a person: someone that meant something to someone at some point. I'd never realised more than in that moment." Mia smiled. "So by my own logic I guess I've never killed a walker! I guess there's gotta be a line somewhere though."

"This really is a messed up world." Rick smiled back and shook his head. "After Woodbury, you said you were on a farm?"

"Yeah, for almost a year. Got there a few weeks after we left Woodbury." Her smile faded into quiet grief.

"What happened?"

"Herd. Attacked while I was on a supply run. That was the only reason I survived. It wiped out everyone else."

"What about your brother? Jacob, right? When you were out of it you kept asking for him."

_Jacob. _No matter how she tried to move on, even the mere mention of his name was still enough to hurt. "He was out hunting when the herd hit. He got back probably a few minutes after me. I'd managed to hide in this big oak tree. I saw him looking for me at the other side of the farm but there was no way I could get his attention without dooming myself. Last I saw of him he was running from a group of walkers into the woods."

"I'm sorry." Rick looked down at the ground as he began to feel extremely grateful for what he had left.

"I'd been searching for him for three months when you guys found me. Every lead was a dead end. I was chasing another when that damned herd got in the way. I don't know what I was expecting. But I realised when I woke up here that I had to let go of him. So that's what I'm trying to do." She grabbed her crutch and tried to stand tall. "Three months is a long time to be alone. I have to let go of the past. If I don't, it'll destroy me. I've still got a way to go, but I'll get there. I've got new friends to be strong for." She paused as she realised what she was saying. "That is, if you guys are ok with me staying?"

Rick smiled and stood up with her. "I said to you already, we need people like you." He extended his hand towards hers. "Welcome to the group."

* * *

><p>Once the air had cleared from her revelation, Mia began to integrate herself with the others. She loved to play with Judith, who seemed to love her right back. Carl found her accent fascinating and would spend ages asking her questions about her homeland. She had to laugh when once he asked her if she'd met the Queen. She had heard it so many times from Americans before, but never so seriously. She tried to go along with it but struggled to keep a straight face, and in the end just hugged him patronisingly.<p>

"You're a good lad, Carl. I like you." She laughed and went back to playing with Judith. He wasn't sure what was so funny. If the dead could rise again, why was that so implausible?

As for the others, she found good friends in Carol and Daryl, who she had grown close to from the beginning; but as she got to know the rest of the group she felt herself grow to love them all in different ways. Tara always made her laugh. She reminded her a lot of her friends back home. Eugene and Gabriel provided the deepest conversations. She could talk with them for hours. Michonne was always surprising. For such a fierce woman she had the softest heart, but she also had a wit that could run circles around anyone else at the camp. She admired her greatly. Even Abraham had his charms once he finally came around to her fully. Tyrese was the gentle giant of the group, she decided. He always had great stories to tell, usually at the expense of Sasha; and none more so than one night around the fire.

"So I'm walking round the woods like a great big- What was that word, Mia?"

"Prat." She giggled.

"Yeah a great big _'prat'_, thinking what the hell am I doing here, you know? I'm not exactly the stealthiest guy in the group, and Daryl's clearly getting pissed that I'm killing his mojo." He chuckled as Daryl flashed him a joking scowl. "This deer comes along and he's stalking it like some kind of wildcat. He'd been gone for ages, so me and Sash go looking for him when I sneeze so loud I'm sure you guys could've heard it from the road!"

Daryl started laughing. "So this big dumb idiot scares off dinner, and damned near gives me a heart attack!"

"And the only reason I'm there? Cos little sister here wants to tell me I'm gonna be an unc-" He froze.

"What the hell, Ty?!" Sasha glared at him with wide, angry eyes. The group went from laughing to dead silence. As Tyrese mouthed an apology, Sasha sighed and looked around at the sea of shocked faces. "Well I've been trying to find the right time to tell you guys but I guess this is as good a time as any. Yes, I'm pregnant. Yes, it's Bob's. And yes, I'm fine."

Still the group remained silent until finally someone was brave enough to break it.

"Are you sure?" Rick was concerned. If Lori was anything to go by, this wasn't going to be an easy ride, and they had to be prepared.

"Well if I wasn't before I certainly am now I have this to show for it." She lifted her baggy t-shirt to reveal her ever-growing bump. "If my dates are correct I should be about 4 months."

Carol was the first to get up and congratulate her. "Hello, little one. " She whispered, stroking Sasha's emerging belly. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I guess I was scared. Plus I didn't wanna jinx anything, especially when I wasn't 100%. Once this little thing started showing though I knew it was only a matter of time, but I still couldn't find the words." Sasha looked down at her bump and smiled. "Good job your Uncle has such a big mouth, huh!"

"Well I for one think this calls for a celebration!" Glenn stood up and held up an imaginary glass to toast. "To a new playmate for Little Ass-Kicker!"

The rest of the group stood and pretended to chink their imaginary glasses. "Hear, hear!"

Sasha felt warm tears of joy skirt around her eyes. "Thank you. This means the world to me."

Tyrese got up and hugged his sister. "You mean the world to us, kid."

* * *

><p>As the days turned into weeks, life at the camp began to take shape. The cabin was well supplied with tools and spare timber from the unused and broken beds. After a couple of stray walkers found their way into the clearing, the group decided these would be best used to secure the perimeter. Though the bathroom in the cabin was a write-off without any useful cleaning materials, they had managed to salvage enough parts to set up a makeshift shower outside. With the supplies from the bus, and the huge store of food they had found in the cabin kitchen, they were better off than they had been in a very long time. Whoever had lived there before had been well stocked. Sometimes the group wondered what had happened to them, but from the state of the area, whatever it was happened too long ago for them to have to worry.<p>

Water was more of an issue. The taps in the kitchen ran but no more than a dribble, and the nearest water source was a well that had been sealed hastily. They knew exactly what that meant. Instead every couple of days a small group had to venture to the nearest stream a few miles back, with a hoard of containers. Sometimes it rained enough to keep them going an extra day or two, but they couldn't rely on that. Rosita and Eugene set up a filtering system for the drinking water and even managed to create a rudimentary boiler to make the shower water vaguely warm on those colder days.

Mia was desperate to contribute fully to the group. Her role as babysitter was enjoyable, but she felt she had a lot more to offer, especially after everything they had done for her. But while she was still relying on Daryl's DIY crutch to get about, she was all but useless. With the help of Carol, who seemed to know unusually much about healing injuries, she trained her muscles to the point where she could walk unaided, albeit with a bit of a limp, for the first time since she hit her head in the woods. It still cramped up from time to time, but after 3 weeks of rehabilitation she was finally able to take her first watch. Daryl stayed awake watching her the first time, but eventually he realised she was strong enough to handle herself when she jumped over the fence to take down an approaching walker, seemingly while still in mid-flight.

By the fifth week, she decided it was time to help with the hunting and scouting.

"Please?" She begged.

"No."

"_Please?!_" She got down on her knees and pretended to grovel at his feet. "Pretty, pretty please, with a cherry on top?!"

"Oh for God's- OK!" Daryl huffed and picked her up off the ground.

"Yay!" She cheered and gestured to his crossbow. "You _have_ to teach me how to use that thing."

"You're gonna be a real pain in the ass, ain't ya." He hung his head and chuckled. "Come on."

As they wandered through the woods, Mia's stomach started to rumble. "Hey, you think you could hunt us down a stuffed-crust margherita pizza? I'd do nasty things for a slice right about now."

"Think we're more likely to find squirrel." Daryl was focussed on finding the plausible. He shot his arrow through a rabbit and attached it to his belt. They pushed forward a little longer before Mia spoke again.

"If you could have one thing back from before all this shit started, what would it be?"

"What?" Daryl looked unimpressed.

"Go on, just humour me." She smiled. "For me it'd be music. My guitar, or my iPod, or something. But just music. I was never good with silence."

"I can tell." Daryl smirked.

"Ha, ha, very funny." She glared, jokingly. "Come on there's gotta be _something_?"

"Good liquor?" Daryl shrugged.

"That's such a cop-out." She rolled her eyes.

"I dunno. I guess I didn't have much to miss. I got everything I need right here." Mia caught his eye but he looked away hastily and carried on walking.

"It feels stupid but I wish I could say the same. Not that I don't appreciate what I have right now, but I guess being so far away from home makes you crave that little bit of familiarity. I'd managed to hang on to a few bits from home right up until the day you found me. I guess I must have dropped my bag when I was running or something, that whole day is still such a blur. But I wish I had it right now."

"Oh?" Daryl stopped as a flash of memory interrupted his concentration.

"Well it had a few little things in I would have liked to have kept. Couple of pictures, those shot glasses I had been collecting, a CD, little things that just reminded me it wasn't always like this, you know?" Suddenly Mia felt extremely homesick. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Nevermind, I'm sorry, this is stupid. Come on let's just get on with this before we lose the light." Daryl watched as she pressed forward without another word.

* * *

><p>"Hey, let me take that."<p>

Maggie reached towards Sasha who was carrying a pile of logs to the firepit. "It's ok I've got this."

"You really shouldn't be doing this in your-"

"Oh come on Maggie not you too!" Sasha gave her an exasperated look. "I'm fine, really!"

"Sorry, it's just we ain't got no doctors here so maybe we should play it safe." She reached for the logs again but Sasha snapped them away.

"Look, I'm not going to sit around for another 4 months watching you guys slave away. I'm good really, I- _ow._" She paused and clenched her eyes shut in pain.

"Whoa, you ok? Lemme get Tyrese."

"I'm fine! Probably just kicking that's all." She took a deep breath and carried on towards her destination.

"Sasha, it's too early for that!" Maggie shouted after her but she wasn't listening. Just as she was about to run after her she saw Tyrese heading into the cabin. If she couldn't get through to her, maybe her brother would be a good bet. She followed him inside.

"Hey, Ty, can we talk?"

"Sure, just gimme a hand looking for some spare nails. Wanna secure that last bit of fence before it gets dark." He searched around the cabin, dragging out nails from the floor and walls he felt weren't needed.

"Look, I'm worried about your sister." She said, pointing Tyrese toward a picture hanging from a nail in the wall.

"Uh-huh. I'm listening." He removed the nail and started to prise out another from the floor.

"I'm worried she's taking on too much."

"That's Sasha alright. Never could just stop." He muttered with a nail pursed at the side of his mouth.

"But I don't think she's coping. She was carrying logs just a second ago and nearly dropped them out of pain."

Tyrese stopped what he was doing and took the nail out of his mouth. "What do you mean? Is she ok?"

"She's fine, I mean for now I think. She wouldn't let me help her. But she really needs to slow down. If something bad happens to her or the baby, we just don't have the resources or the people to help her." Her face reflected her concern.

"Ok, I'll talk to her." He walked towards the door and patted her on the shoulder as he passed. "Thank you."

"Any time." She tried her best to smile. "Just keep her safe. We can't lose anyone else."

* * *

><p>The group had settled down by the campfire, enjoying the products of Mia's first hunt. She was sat talking to Michonne when Daryl appeared next to her with a sly look on his face.<p>

"Someone's been up to something." Michonne joked. "I'll leave you guys to it, gotta use the little girl's room!"

She laughed and waved. "I prefer 'shithole' myself. At least it's accurate!" She turned to face Daryl. "So, what crazy scheme do you have planned for us tonight? Bank robbery? Real Bonnie and Clyde style? Oh what about we set off to find the Holy Grail? Bit of eternal youth, no turning into the undead; be a good use of an evening!"

"Jesus, Mia, do you ever stop talking?" Daryl was only half joking. Sometimes he found it endearing, but other times he just wanted to be able to get a word in.

"I'll stop talking when I'm dead." She winked at him, but was surprised to find him looking almost angry.

"Don't talk like that." His eyes seemed pained.

"Sorry." She looked down. _Awkward._

"I brought you something you might recognise." He reached behind him and swung round a large duffle bag. As it landed in front of Mia her mouth fell open.

"What…? Where on earth did you find this?!"

"Right where we found you. We brought it back with you, but with all that crazy shit going on I guess we forgot it was on the bus. I found it hiding under the back seat." He sat beside her as she began to rummage through its contents, beaming.

"Oh my god I can't believe this!" She laughed and hugged Daryl tight. He was caught by surprise, half expecting her to slap him for not telling her sooner. As she squeezed him, he smiled and put his arms around her. He enjoyed seeing her happy.

"Well go on, what's in this precious bag of yours?" He was rather surprised to find her pull out a sports bra.

"Oh god I've missed this thing. You have no idea how hard it is to dodge walkers without proper support for these puppies!" She looked down and grabbed her chest. Daryl regretted taking a sip from his water bottle in that moment, as he choked and slapped his chest. "Oh shit, sorry! I went to an all girls' school. Sometimes I forget what's appropriate."

"That's- that's ok." He spluttered, regaining his composure.

"Daryl Dixon, are you blushing?" Mia teased. For such a seasoned badass he couldn't half be a dork sometimes. "Anyway, what else have we got?"

The bag mostly contained clothing and food supplies, along with the shot glasses, some ammo for a long lost gun, chewing gum, and some pictures of her friends and family. Next she pulled out a CD in a plastic wallet. The words "stuff and things" were scrawled across the front in black ink.

"What's on it?"

"Bit of a random mix really. The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Johnny Cash, Motely Crue, Jimi Hendrix… Can't remember everything but I think there's about 20 tracks on it." She inspected it for damage. "Still looks good. Makes me wish society hadn't been so quick to abandon Walkman's for MP3 players."

Daryl looked at her with an air of surprise. "You make that CD?"

"Yeah, why?" She furrowed her eyebrows, half-knowing what was coming.

"Just figured you more of a pop princess." He smirked.

Mia scowled. "That is possibly the worst way to insult me. I've always liked _real_ music, thank you very much."

"Hey, just you seem so…" Daryl's voice trailed as he caught Mia's glare. "Ok sorry!"

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover? Besides," her scowl slowly stretched into a smirk, "there's only one Backstreet Boys song on there." She winked and went back to her bag. As her hands ran over the bottom of the bag, she paused. Her eyes wide, she snapped back to her senses and hastily closed the bag.

"You ok?" Daryl was confused.

"Yes, thank you." She snapped before composing herself. "I'm fine, I'm just tired. It's been a long day and I guess this is making me quite emotional!" She took a deep breath and smiled. "Thank you for this. It's just what I needed."

"Any time." Daryl stood up and patted her on the shoulder before leaving to take watch. Mia watched him disappear before opening the bag again. She stared into its contents and hung her head before setting off to bed.

* * *

><p>Mia had hardly been asleep minutes when she awoke to shouting from outside. She jumped out of bed, threw on her hoodie and lifted the blackout curtain to see through the window. To her horror she saw Rick and Daryl running towards Glenn who was by the fence, laid on his back trying to push off a walker with a plank of wood. Part of the fence had collapsed, letting through a large group of around 8 walkers who had taken a somewhat sleepy Glenn by surprise. Sasha, who was returning from using the toilet for the third time that night, was busy with 3 of them biting and groping at her.<p>

"Holy shit." Mia grabbed her Machete and ran to help. Sasha fell awkwardly as she tried to evade the grasp of the animated corpse swinging for a piece of her. She screamed in pain as her belly knocked hard against the ground. Mia arrived just in time to stop her being devoured. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, I just need a minute." She winced through gritted teeth. "Just see to the others."

With 4 able bodies the walkers were easy pickings, and minutes later as Rick pulled out his knife from the last skull, they stopped hunched over to catch their breath.

"That was a close one." Glenn panted.

"We gotta be more careful. We can't let this happen again." Rick sat himself down on the ground and wiped back his hair. "The fence isn't strong enough. We need find a better way to strengthen it."

"Yuck." Mia shook the blood off her weapon and grimaced._"_ I agree. The better the fence, the less we have to deal with these fuckers."

"Argh!" They turned around to see Sasha, propped against the fence, clenching her abdomen, face contorted with pain.

"Sasha! What's wrong?" Rick got up and ran towards her, the others following close behind her.

"The baby- it hurts so much. Argh!" She screamed and doubled over.

Mia knelt beside her and put her hand on her arm to comfort her. "It's ok, we're here. Sasha it's really important that you tell me what happened when you fell. Did you hit your bump?"

Sasha's eyes were filled with fear as she tried to breathe away the pain. "Yes."

"Ok where does it hurt now?" Rick, Glenn, and Daryl looked at Mia with a mixture of worry and confusion as she calmly took control. "Can you show me?"

Sasha placed her hand at the bottom of her bump. Mia tried not to show the worry that was creeping across her mind.

"I'll bring Carol." Daryl motioned to leave but Mia stopped him.

"No it's ok, I've got this. But we need to get her inside so I can have a proper look at her." She helped Sasha to her feet. "I need one of you give me a hand to carry her and another to run on and set up a bed. We'll need to screen off an area so I can examine her properly." Still looking confused, Daryl picked up Sasha's other arm while Glenn ran toward the cabin. She shouted after him, "I'll need a torch and something for the pain too. Get Carol to see what we have."

As they raced towards the cabin Rick couldn't quite get his head around Mia's words. '_… So I can examine her.'_ He let the words sink in. _How would she know? _He barely had chance to process what was happening when they finally reached the inside. Carol had sectioned off an area in the corner of the room and was routing through a bag of drugs when Daryl lifted Sasha onto the bed.

"Ok anyone who doesn't need to be here please leave!" Mia shouted across the room as she ran to get her bag from under her bed. "Tyrese, come over here. Sasha needs you right now. Carol I'm going to need your assistance. And I need one more person to be on standby here. The rest of you please wait outside."

"I'll stay." Daryl took his crossbow off his shoulders.

"What happened?" Tyrese held his sister's hand and looked at Mia with tears in his eyes.

"She fell, but it's ok we're going to take good care of her." She flashed him a comforting smile. "Ok Sasha sweetie, I know you're in pain but need to examine you properly, so I need you to take off your jeans and pants. I'm gonna give you this sheet to cover yourself. Can everyone please look away for a minute? Carol, Tyrese, can you just hold this blanket up so we can give her some privacy?"

As Sasha undressed, Mia reached into her bag and pulled out a pink stethoscope. She got up, placed it around her neck, and rolled up the sleeves of her hoodie before walking to the bowl of water on the kitchen counter to wash her hands. Rick watched her with suspicion before walking towards her.

"What's going on Mia? What have you been hiding?" He whispered sharply to her.

"It's not important right now." She looked at him sternly and tried to move away.

Rick stepped in front of her and slammed his hand on the counter. "Dammit, Mia! It is important! Who are you?"

Mia sighed and hung her head. "My name is Dr Mia Jones," She lifted her head and looked Rick dead in the eyes, "and I have a patient over there that needs me."

**End of Part 3**


	4. Part 4: Truth

**[Author's Note] Happy new year TWD fans! ****I present to you Part 4 of The Wrong Side of the Pond for your enjoyment :)**

**This is quite a busy chapter with a lot going on so should hopefully pick up the pace a bit! As always, critique is welcome, and I look forward to hearing your comments.**

**Stay tuned for Part 5: 'Found' coming soon! Hopefully by the end of January but I'm very busy at the mo :( Keep your eyes peeled and please follow if you like it :)**

**Love,**

**CharBop  
><strong>

**xox**

* * *

><p><strong>Part 4: Truth<strong>

"Oh my god!" Sasha cried out from behind the screen. She looked down to find her underwear soaked in blood. Mia swerved around Rick, leaving him dumbfounded, and dashed to the bed.

"It's ok, just lay yourself down, that's it. You're in safe hands." She tried her best to comfort Sasha as she laid her back down on the bed and placed the blanket over her. "Carol, long-shot I know but do we have a speculum here?"

"No, nothing like that." Carol looked at Mia, almost lost.

"Dammit. Ok Sasha I'm gonna have a feel of your tummy and I need you to tell me if it hurts when I do." Sasha yelled out as Mia pressed above her pubic bone. She put her stethoscope in her ears and placed the bell on Sasha's abdomen, trying desperately to listen for a heartbeat from the baby. "This is no good without the right equipment. Carol can you get her some Tylenol?" She lifted the blanket to assess the blood loss breathed a sigh of relief; not too much more than a heavy period.

Mia replaced the sheet and guided Carol out of Sasha's earshot. Keeping her voice low, she explained her impression of events. "It's really hard to know for sure without examining her fully, but I think she's having a threatened miscarriage."

"Oh god…" Carol discreetly lifted her hand to her mouth in grief.

"She's lost some blood but not too much. If she loses more though, we'll need to give her fluids. What do we have for that?"

"We have a couple of bags left but nothing to connect them to."

"Just tell me what you need." Daryl was eavesdropping from behind them.

Mia looked at him with a focus he had never seen in her before. "Well, we need something to help me listen for a foetal heartbeat. Plus I can't examine her without a speculum. If I use my hands I could risk making things worse. What have we got in the way of antibiotics?" She turned back to Carol.

"Amoxil, something called Zosyn, I think that's it."

Mia turned back to Sasha. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"Penicillin. She ended up in the hospital after taking it for tonsillitis when she was a kid." Tyrese stroked his sister's hand.

"Great." Mia whispered under her breath.

"What?" Daryl looked confused.

Mia moved out of Sasha's earshot. "She can't have either of what we have. We need something else entirely. And if worse comes to worst and she has miscarried…" She wiped her face with her hand and leant her head back in frustration. "Ok where the hell are we going to find these things?"

"Is there nothing we can do here?" Carol couldn't bear to watch Sasha lying helpless and uncomfortable.

"All we can do is make her as comfortable as we can. As for the baby, we won't know anything until I can examine her properly." Mia looked at Sasha with sadness in her eyes. "And I have no idea how I'm gonna do that."

"I do." Daryl sighed, reached for his crossbow, and started heading for the door.

"Wait what? Daryl wait!" Mia ran after him. "Wherever you're going I'm coming with you."

"No." He carried on towards the exit.

"Daryl this isn't a joke, I need to come with you, like it or lump it." Mia slung her bag around her shoulders and picked up her machete.

"No! It ain't safe. You've told me what you need. I can find it." Try as he might, he couldn't hide the shifty look in his eyes. "You'll only slow me down."

"Mia's right, you can't go without her." Suddenly it dawned on Carol. "You're going where you got that black eye, aren't you." She flashed him a stern look.

"Yeah, so? I told you, that was an accident. Look this is wasting time. We gotta go." He turned back to Mia. "You can come but on _my_ terms, got it?"

"Yes, sure, whatever! Can we just get on with this?" Mia zipped up her hoodie and walked over to Sasha.

"What's going on? Is my baby ok?" Her face was stained with tears.

"Sasha you've lost a little bit of blood but not too much. The Tylenol should kick in soon, and Carol can give you more if you need them." She knelt down and was level with Sasha's eyes. Grabbing hold of her hand she continued in an honest but soft tone. "When you fell I think you made baby a little confused, which is why you're in pain and why there was some blood. There aren't the right things here to check on baby properly, but from what I can tell it looks like your body is threatening to miscarry."

Sasha squeezed her hand and tried not to burst into tears again. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that baby isn't happy and there could be a risk of you losing it. So it's very important that you stay in bed and rest. I know it's worrying for you but you _have _to rest. Carol is going to look after you, and me and Daryl are going to go find what we need to help you. You're in good hands."

Mia got up to leave when she saw Rick blocking her path. "You obviously had your reasons for hiding this from us. I ain't gonna let it slide, but for now please look after Sasha."

"That's the plan." Rick moved out of the way as her and Daryl set off into the night.

* * *

><p>As they raced through the trees in the darkness, Mia was barely able to keep up with Daryl.<p>

"Hey, could you just slow down a little? I'm not going to be much use to you if you leave me behind!" He wasn't listening. "Daryl, please!"

He stopped and aggressively turned to face her. "You lied to us. Sure as hell I'm pissed, but we ain't got time for this shit right now." As he turned to leave Mia grabbed his arm.

"Please, let me explain." Of all the people who had ever been angry at her, for some reason this hurt the most. "If we're going to be any good to Sasha we need to go into this with clear heads."

"Fine." He snatched his arm away and leant against a tree. "You got two minutes."

Mia took a deep breath and tried desperately to appear defiant, but instead she felt defeated. "I'm a doctor, yes, but I'm barely a doctor. I'd only just graduated when I left for the States. I was meant to be starting my first job when I got back but obviously that didn't happen. Six years of training and I never even got to see my first paycheque." She huffed. "Bright side is I don't have to pay back my student loans, so that's something."

"One minute." Daryl remained stern.

"Ok, ok." She hung her head back and tried to force out the words. "When I arrived at Woodbury there was only one nurse and nobody else with any medical training, so I found myself in charge of the hospital there. The Governor used that to keep a hold of me, and it's why he punished me the way he did when I tried to leave.

"Afterwards…" She felt the tears return as she began to choke on her words. "I was too scared to tell people, even those I trusted. I couldn't let anyone use me like that again. I don't know if I was hiding it from others or from myself, but trying to say it just made me feel sick. So I vowed to myself that I would help those who needed it and pretend like I'd just picked up things along the way."

"So what changed?" Daryl scowled but inside he felt himself thawing.

Mia caught his gaze and lingered there watching his eyes soften, before turning her head away. "I guess maybe I'm finally coming to terms with things. I had to wake up some time. Plus it never really needed to come up until Sasha." She looked back at Daryl. "I _was_ going to tell you. To be honest I'd kind of forgotten about it until you brought me my bag. Then it was just a case of finding the right time. But then shit happened like it did and I didn't have a choice."

"No kidding."

"I'm sorry, really. I know I should have said something sooner, but is it really that big a deal?"

"Course it's a big deal! How the hell do you expect us to trust you when you can't even tell us something like that?" Daryl found himself shouting.

"Ssh, please Daryl. You're going to attract walkers." She moved towards him but he pushed her away, causing her to lose her balance. He froze, shocked at himself, as she hit the ground and lay there dazed. He understood why she did it, and he knew he was overreacting, but still it hurt.

Regretting his actions Daryl moved to help her up. But before he got chance to reach out his hand, a lone walker appeared from the darkness and lunged for Mia's shoulder.

"Watch out!" He screamed and pushed her out of the way before sinking his knife through its chin and into its brain.

Mia shook her head and clambered to her feet. "Thanks." She couldn't look him in the eye. "I guess we should keep moving."

"You hurt?" He desperately wanted to apologise but the foolish anger still lingering wouldn't let the words form.

"I'm fine. Let's just go." A tear rolled down her cheek as she hung her head in sadness. Daryl walked on ahead as Mia returned to trailing behind him. _I've really blown it this time. Fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Mia; you stupid, stupid woman._ She wished the ground would swallow her whole. She had always prided herself on being strong but in this new world she barely recognised herself, and she despised herself for being so weak.

Suddenly she felt herself bump into something solid. She looked up to see Daryl had stopped dead, his arms dropped to his side. Letting out a huge sigh, his gravelly tones finally formed an apology before he carried on walking as though nothing had happened. A weight lifted off Mia's chest as she smiled, following him deeper into the woods.

* * *

><p>"How's she doing?" Maggie nodded to Sasha as she walked toward the makeshift ward at the end of the cabin.<p>

"She's sleeping, so at least she's comfortable." Carol was drying her hands with a cloth. Maggie noticed the blood on the bed and let out a discreet gasp. "It's not as bad as it looks. We're keeping an eye on her."

Maggie pulled up a stool and sat opposite Tyrese. "I'm so sorry."

Tyrese looked up at her, confused. "Why?"

"For not seeing this sooner," She sighed. "I knew she was doing too much. I should have seen this coming, but I didn't realise how it was affecting her until today."

"Don't blame yourself. It was an accident that caused this. Those damned walkers…" He paused and scowled at the words. Looking at his sister peacefully asleep, he smiled sadly. "Besides, Sasha's too stubborn to have listened to us anyway."

Watching her friend lying helpless on the blood-stained sheets gave her a strange sense of clarity. For months she had been blocking everyone out; forcing her loved ones to sit at arm's length from the pain she suffered every day since losing her sister. All it did was eat away at her, leaving her almost hollow. Some days she wished she could form the words to Glenn. The way he looked at her some days was like pouring salt on an open wound. The helpless look in his eyes stung her. Inside a small voice screamed out for help, but she pressed it down deeper with each yell. All it did was leave her fragile and exhausted. Enough was enough. Bottling things up had done no good for Sasha, and it certainly had done nothing for her. It was time to get her life back.

"Take good care of her." She smiled at Carol as she got up to leave. "Let me know if I can do anything."

As she walked out of the cabin, Glenn was sat on a log by the campfire, staring deeply into low flickering flames. Standing at his back, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him close from behind. Planting a kiss on his cheek, she whispered in his ear.

"I love you."

Glenn felt a great release. It had been the first time she said that since Beth passed. He clasped his hands around her arms.

"I love you too, Maggie." At the edge of the woods, between two small trees, Glenn saw a small doe watching them. He smiled as slowly it walked away, disappearing into the darkness. "I really do."

* * *

><p>Daryl waved his hand back at Mia, gesturing for her to get down. Together they crawled behind a group of bushes at the edge of the woods. In front of them stood a wide, single-storey building surrounded by a picket fence reinforced with tall panels of corrugated metal. In the dark it was difficult to see anything beyond it.<p>

"We focus our efforts here. Last time I came it was overrun so we need to stick together and concentrate on getting what we need."

"You don't need to tell me twice." She pulled out her machete from its sheath and held it ready. "Let's go."

Daryl moved aside a panel of metal and led her into the building. The small yard was clean and empty. No bodies, no blood, no sound. Mia thought it a little strange but chose not to dwell on it. They had better things to focus on.

Stepping inside, she realised the building was in fact a small rural hospital, just like the ones she had seen in films as a child. Passing a one of the tiny wards, Mia was even more surprised by the cleanliness of the place. Expecting to see a real horror show, she instead was greeted by a clinical odour she knew only too well. _Somebody's using this._

Her growing suspicions were interrupted by the sound of glass hitting the floor somewhere behind them. They both froze for a moment before Daryl took charge in a hushed voice. "Stay here. I'll be back."

"Wait, where you going?!" Mia was shocked by his sudden departure as he disappeared in the direction of the noise. "So much for sticking together," she muttered under her breath.

She waited for barely seconds before ignoring his words and heading off further into the building. _I can handle this, _she told herself, reassured by the lack of walker encounters. _We don't have time for me to wait around._

She found the store room without incident, though this unnerved her more than she thought appropriate. Regardless, she stuffed handfuls of cannula packs, gloves, and IV kits into her bag, along with a couple of extra fluid bags. Under the shelves, tucked behind a large cardboard box was a smaller box of obstetric equipment. _Jackpot, _she thought as she pulled out a lone speculum still in its sterile pack. At the bottom she found a Doppler foetal heart monitor. No batteries._ Maybe not_. Regardless, she stuffed it into her bag and moved round to a large white cupboard attached to the back wall. Its doors sat slightly open as the lock had been broken clean off. Opening it fully, she was shocked to find it fully stocked with a wide array of different drugs. Again she felt unnerved. _Someone is definitely using this place._

More cautiously, she searched through the shelves and grabbed three boxes of Erythromycin, and a range of analgesics, stuffing them all into her duffle bag. The last thing she felt as she closed the cupboard door was a sharp pain across the side of her head before the world turned black.

* * *

><p>Daryl had his back to the wall, ready to pounce round the corner to meet whoever, or whatever made the noise. He took a deep breath and swung round sharply, his crossbow ready to fire. Frozen wide-eyed and staring straight at him, a racoon was sat on a small table; a glass vase smashed on the floor beneath it. He hung his head and huffed. "Little shit."<p>

Suddenly his ears perked up as he heard footsteps running and a door slam. He darted off back the way he came and as he turned the corner saw the back door shaking and slightly ajar. He opened it and stepped outside to see shadowy figure disappear out of sight.

_Mia._

Daryl felt his blood run cold as he frantically searched the building. He made his way upstairs, arriving to find a thin but fresh trail of blood leading out from the store room and down the corridor to a door at the end. Mia's bag was laid in the middle of the store room floor, half open. He felt sick as his mind jumped to the worst-case scenario. He picked up the bag and swung it onto his back. His bow ready, he stalked his way towards the end of the blood trail and listened at the door. Silence. Taking a deep breath, he tried the handle. _Locked. Shit._ He thought as he stepped back and kicked hard at the lock. The door swung open violently to reveal Mia gagged and crudely bound to a chair with bandages. Her head hung forward, allowing blood to drip slowly onto her lap.

"No, no, no." Daryl rushed towards her and removed the bandage from her mouth, trying to rouse her. "Come on, kid."

Nothing. Untying her hands and feet he took off his crossbow and slung her in a fireman's lift over his shoulders. Picking up his bow in his free hand, he hurried his way out of the building and back into the woods.

* * *

><p>On the top floor of a three-story building, a small, sheepish man ran hastily into a dimly-lit room. Breathlessly he tried to speak.<p>

"Intruders- Two of 'em- In the clinic- I caught one- Tied her up-"

"A fine job you did too." A voice snarled from the shadows by the window in the corner. "And if I'm not mistaken, there they are running into the trees right now."

The sheepish man looked in horror at a figure emerging from the shadows. On a table by the window sat a walkie-talkie and a black revolver with an ornate pearl handle. The man began to panic as the figure slowly hovered its hand between both objects.

"Eenie, meenie, miney…" The hand stopped still. "Mo."

The click of a walkie-talkie allowed the man to breathe again.

"Visitors. South exit, back of the clinic. Follow them. See where they're going. Don't let them see you. Repeat. Do not let them see you. I just want intel for now. Over."

"Roger that." A muffled voice rang out before another click called an end.

"Seems we have a little infestation on our hands, wouldn't you say?" The figure moved closer to the window, still obscured by the darkness. "I don't like pests, George."

George felt his hands begin to shake as a surge of adrenaline rushed through him.

"You let one in before, and we lost a good man and good supplies." The words slithered out of the darkness, terrifying George to his core. He knew what was coming. Slowly he backed away towards the exit. "But you told me you'd gotten rid of him, George."

"I- I did! This must be some other guy!" He stuttered in panic.

"Then the crossbow and angel-wing vest combo must be a very popular choice amongst the rednecks round here." The voice jeered. "You've let me down George. I don't like it when people let me down."

George turned and started to run, but before he could get a foot out the door the figure in the corner grabbed the gun and shot him in the back. As George fell to the ground and writhed around in pain the figure glided towards him and plunged a knife into his skull.

"And I _really _don't like pests."

* * *

><p>"Ugh."<p>

Once they were far enough away, Daryl stopped for breath, lifting Mia off his shoulders and leaning her on the ground against a tree. "Wakey, wakey."

Mia grimaced as a blinding pain swept across her head. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. Sweeping her hand over her scalp she felt the warmth of her blood wet her hands. She gave an exasperated sigh and tried to focus her eyes on Daryl. "Why always my damned head?!"

He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water and an old bandana. Wetting the cloth he wiped the drying blood from Mia's face and eyes before giving her the bottle to drink. "You ok?"

"Yeah I think so." She took a large gulp and passed him back the bottle. "Shit. I dropped my bag."

"It's ok I got it." Daryl took off her bag and passed it over. Hastily she opened it to check the contents.

"Oh thank God. Everything's there." She rested her head back. "What the hell happened back there?"

"Someone was in there. I saw them run off before I could get a look."

"No. I mean _you_." She looked at Daryl feeling voice start to rise, but it was still too dark for shouting. "What happened to _'its overrun, we need to stick together'_?" She mocked his gruff tones and scowled.

"What happened to staying put?!" He hissed.

"The whole place was practically new! It looked like walkers hadn't even seen the place let alone overrun it!" She was definitely shouting now, but she didn't care. "And that fence? Not to mention the store room was fully stocked. Someone was using it, Daryl, and I get the feeling this isn't news to you."

A familiar groan approached them.

"Come on, we don't have time for this. Can you walk?" Daryl helped Mia to her feet, ignoring the daggered look she gave him.

"We'll find out." Checking her pockets, she came to a frustrating realisation. "My weapons. They bloody took them!"

The groan was getting closer when suddenly it stopped. Mia was too focussed on rummaging through her bag for her knife to notice, but Daryl felt uneasy. He passed her his knife. "Take this. We gotta go, now!"

They raced through the woods and back towards the camp. Mia's head felt awful and she was still angry, but the urgency with which Daryl was dragging her back towards camp made her feel worse. Nothing quite added up about what had just happened. He had been so weird about her going with him even though he knew she needed to be there. _And the black eye…_ Daryl had looked somewhat worse for wear when she woke up in the cabin, and most of that could be attributed to a nasty run-in with the dead ones, but a black eye like he had? Sure he could have fallen, hit his head against something. But she had seen falls and she had seen "falls", and his seemed more like the latter.

Her suspicions were interrupted by a hand grasping her arm.

"Get down." Daryl whispered, pulling her out of sight of the group of walkers just metres ahead of them. "Shit. There's too many of them."

Mia looked around her. "Can't we go round?"

"They're spread out too wide, and we're too close. We were lucky they didn't notice us already." He wiped away a bead of sweat rolling down his brow.

"Maybe we try picking them off one at a time? Lure some here; get through enough quietly to take on the rest? I count 16. Drop it to below 10 we can probably handle it easy." She picked up a small stone from the ground. "You know, my uncle taught me how to play darts when I was 15."

"Mia, wait!" Daryl hissed, watching wide-eyed as she threw the stone right between the rotting eyes of the walker nearest to them. It growled and started shuffling towards them. As she readied her knife she turned to Daryl and winked. "I was the reigning pub champion for 2 years in my village." Rising quickly, she grabbed the walker by the throat, dragged it behind the tree they were hiding behind, and stabbed it in the head.

One. Two. Three more times they managed this before a few too many others noticed. "Oh come on! Can't we just get one break?!" Daryl growled as he violently leapt out of hiding and fired an arrow through the head of the walker in front of him. The more they took down, the more seemed to appear. Eventually a small group were stacked up against Daryl, cornering him towards the trunk of a haggard looking tree. As he smashed the butt of his bow through the skull of one, another groped his vest and chomped down towards his shoulder, barely missing his skin as Daryl kicked it away. His leg was still in the air when he was lunged at by a skeletal corpse to his left. As he tried to dodge it, he fell backwards into the tree and screamed in pain, swinging a loose arrow through its decomposing skull.

"Daryl!" Mia fought her way towards him, her face covered in blood splatter as she smashed a walker's head against a tree. She watched him shoot his bow at the last of the dead that had cornered him before going limp and collapsing to the ground. To Mia's horror, his falling body revealed a small, jagged branch, glistening scarlet in the light of the waking sun.

* * *

><p>"Bob…" Sasha's eyes opened slowly to see Tyrese asleep on the chair next to her.<p>

"Just your brother I'm afraid." Carol smiled and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. "How you doing?"

Sasha breathed slowly through her mouth. "The pain's coming back."

"I'll get you something for that." Carol got up and dispensed a couple of Tylenol into Sasha's hand. "The bleeding seems to be slowing down. That's good."

"I think I'll wait to decide what's good when Mia and Daryl get back." She swallowed back the tablets and tried to sit up.

"Hey, you're under strict orders to rest."

"That's easier said than done." She lay back down and stared at the ceiling. "I'm trying to stay calm but I'm freaking out. I can't lose this baby. It's all I've got left of…" Her voice trailed as she choked back the tears.

Carol took her hand. "You know when I was pregnant with Sophia I had a pretty bad scare just like this. I was around 5 months, like you, and my husband had come in late from watching the game, stinking of liquor. I was pissed because he was meant to be driving me to the hospital the next morning on his way to work. So naturally I told him off. That was the first time he ever hit me. Just the once, but it knocked me flying.

"I was so scared I'd lost my baby. You can have your walkers and your Governors and your crazed cannibals; waiting for that scan was the most terrified I'd ever been in my life. But my Sophia held on for dear life and she was born happy and healthy 4 months later." She wiped away a tear rolling down Sasha's face and gently placed her hand on her bump. "As tiny as they are, they're tough. And that's especially true if this little one's anything like its mommy and daddy."

Sasha squeezed her hand. "You're a good person, Carol. I don't know where we'd be without you."

Carol smiled and walked away to the counter. Pretending to sort a box of medical supplies, she hid her face from view and quietly cried away the memories of her lost daughter.

* * *

><p><em>No.<em>

Mia froze in shock as she watched the colour drain from Daryl's face. _Please, no._ She snapped back to action as a walker groaned behind her. Plunging her knife through its skull she turned to see the last one inches away from Daryl's unconscious body. She pulled out her knife and ran towards it, pushing it away just in time before it sunk its foul teeth into his outstretched arm. It snapped away at her as she pinned it to the ground and smashed its head repeatedly with her weapon. She held the position for a moment, catching her breath, before clambering her way over to Daryl.

"Stay with me. Come on." She felt his neck for a pulse and felt her own heart return to beating as his pushed against her fingertips. Holding the side of her face over his she watched for his chest to rise. His breathing was laboured and raspy. She struggled to roll him on to his side, and checked his back for wounds. A small hole had been punctured into the right side of his back, halfway down his ribs.

_Shit._

Mia rolled him back and ripped open his shirt tapping her fingers against each side of his chest. She pressed two fingers into the notch at the top of his sternum and felt a panic as her fears were confirmed. She threw her bag off her shoulders and reached inside, pulling out a white packet with a green label at the top. Ripping it open, she took out the cannula and felt for the right spot on Daryl's chest before guiding it through his skin and into his thorax.

"You timed this well."

A hiss of escaping air from the needle blended into the escaping air from Mia's deep sigh of relief. Daryl gasped suddenly as the dropping pressure from around his right lung allowed him to breathe again. "That's it, sweetheart. Come on. Breathe for me." She held his hand and watched the colour return to his cheeks as his blood filled with oxygen. He groaned in pain. "It's ok. I'm here. You're gonna be ok."

Daryl's eyes opened and refocused on Mia trying her best to flash him a comforting smile. Short of breath and dizzy, he tried to sit up. Despite Mia's protests, after a couple of attempts he was relatively upright. "We gotta get out of here." He muttered breathlessly.

Mia sighed and tried to hide the fear she felt. "I need to drain your chest ASAP and I can't do that here. But you're in no fit state to move."

"Bullshit." Daryl forced himself to his feet and supporting himself against the tree trunk, beckoned for her. "We ain't that far from camp. I can make it."

"You're one stubborn son of a bitch sometimes you know that right?" She said as she collected their belongings and draped his left arm over her shoulders.

"Takes one to know one." He joked through gritted teeth as they staggered their way home.

* * *

><p>Rick was watching the mid-morning sky as he walked the perimeter. His eyes were bleary from the lack of sleep but he wiped them and carried on.<p>

"You look like you could use a nap." He turned around to see Michonne walking up behind him.

"I think we all could," he turned back to face the woodland, "but I don't think my mind would let me right now."

"I hear that." She sighed and stood next to him, watching in vain hope for the safe return of their companions. "They've been gone a long time."

"If anything's gone wrong out there, I don't know what we're gonna do. If that baby's dead, we don't have the resources or the know-how to deal with it. I hate that she didn't tell us, but I'm grateful she's with us."

"Gabriel still says it was a miracle. I guess I'm inclined to agree." She smiled. "Don't be too hard on her. She'll have had her reasons, and more importantly she came through when we needed her."

Michonne turned around to leave when a shout rang out from the edge of the woods.

"Help!"

Two figures tumbled out of the trees and crumpled to the ground. Rick shouted towards the rest of the group for help as he and Michonne raced through the make-shift gate and out to meet them. Mia was on her knees, buckling under the weight of a barely conscious Daryl; skin grey and lips blue as he struggled to breathe.

"What happened?!" Rick shouted as he got closer to them, taking over Daryl's arm and lifting him upright.

From a mix of adrenaline and concussion, Mia tried to shake off the dizziness but found herself vomiting instead. Abraham hurriedly approached behind them and took Daryl's other side as Michonne helped her up. "We got swamped by walkers. He fell on a branch. He has a collapsed lung. I need to drain it." Sweat dripped from her brow and into her eyes. She wiped it away as she felt stomach turn again. She pushed away from Michonne and threw up once more.

"Are _you_ ok?" Michonne asked in concern.

"Long story, but I'll be fine. We just need to get him inside." She spat in a futile attempt to remove the vile mix of lactic and stomach acid from her mouth. "Someone take my bag please. Get him on a bed. I'll be right there I just need a second."

Rick and Abraham carried Daryl away and into the cabin with Michonne behind them, as a wobbly Mia collapsed onto her back, breathing heavily and trying hard not to cry. A frustrated scream escaped her lungs as she punched the ground and sprang back onto her feet, racing after the others.

Carol looked out from the screen around Sasha to find Rick laying a struggling Daryl on his bed.

"Oh no…" She gasped in horror and rushed to his side. "What the hell happened out there?!"

Rick explained what Mia told him as she stumbled into the cabin and spilled out the contents of her bag onto the bed next to him. Her face was pale and stained with blood and tears as her trembling hands fumbled for the right equipment. "I need a bottle or a bucket or something with water!"

"I'll get it." Abraham flashed a concerned look to Rick as rushed out to get some.

"What do you need to do?" He asked in the most calming way he could.

"I need to insert a chest drain to get rid of the air outside his lungs." Her body did not reflect the calm tone of her voice as the surging adrenaline rocked her nervous system. She took out one of the IV packs and was about to cut the tube to size when she noticed the dried remains of the walkers she'd slain covering the blade of Daryl's knife. "Crap. I need a clean knife or scissors or at least some alcohol to sterilise this damned thing."

Carol's eyes were brimming with tears as she raced into the kitchen and pulled out a half-full bottle of vodka from a top cupboard. Mia cleaned the knife until it was almost spotless and prepared the tubing while Abraham returned with a small bucket of water. With the help of Rick, she removed Daryl's shirt and vest and cleaned an area of his skin along his ribs and below his armpit with the vodka. Her face pale and clammy, and hands still shaking, she readied her equipment.

"Are you sure you can do this? You don't look in great shape yourself." Rick frowned.

"I'm fine! I have to do this. We haven't got a choice." Mia snapped.

"You could talk one of us through-" Carol started but she interrupted angrily.

"We don't have time for this!" She took a deep breath and got the knife into position. "Someone hold him down. If he's conscious enough to feel this he's gonna need restraining. Keep his arms out the way." Carol and Rick got into position and nodded to Mia. "Here goes nothing."

As she made her first incision between his ribs, Daryl yelled out and writhed around. Carol and Rick struggled to keep him still as Mia sliced her way through and passed the long tube into his lung cavity. Bubbles of air floated out of the other end of the tube submerged in the bucket as Daryl's breathing began to steady. Mia taped the tube in place and wiped the sweat from her face. She reached for her stethoscope and listened with joy as the breath sounds returned to his right lung.

"Oh thank God."

Satisfied he was out of danger she moved out of the way and felt the world to go fuzzy as she passed out on the bed next to him.

* * *

><p>She had been out only seconds before she forced herself awake and standing. <em>Pull yourself together, Mia. Just one more patient. You've done worse night shifts, <em>she told herself as she reached for her bottle of water. After taking a long drink, she walked outside and still fully clothed washed the blood and body fluids away in the shower. Wiping herself off as best she could with the lone towel she tied back her hair, composed herself and returned inside to tend to Sasha.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She recited in her most autopilot professional manner. "How you feeling?"

"The pain's going…" Sasha frowned questioningly at her as water dripped from Mia's top.

"Sorry, I didn't think walker guts was the most appropriate look." She joked as best as she could muster.

"Are you ok? Your head's bleeding!" Sasha watched a small trickle of blood begin to ooze from Mia's freshly opened head wound.

Mia walked to the medical box and grabbed a few sheets of gauze. She taped them to her head hastily. "There we go. That'll sort it for now. Let's take a look at you now shall we?" She flashed a reassuring smile to a concerned looking Sasha as she prepared the speculum. She looked at Tyrese, "She's gonna need a hand to hold." He took his sisters hand as Mia began her examination. Sasha took a sharp intake of breath.

"Sorry sweetheart, I know this isn't comfortable."

"You're telling me!"

Mia talked her through what she was doing. "So the good news. The bleeding has stopped and your cervix is closed which means as long as you keep rested and avoid heavy duties, baby should be staying put for now."

Sasha let out a sigh of relief as Tyrese squeezed and kissed her hand. "And the bad news?"

Mia removed the speculum, made Sasha comfortable and cleaned up after herself. When she returned, she sat next to her and held her other hand. "Ok, the bad news is I still don't know how baby itself is doing. I found a monitor to listen to its heart, but it doesn't have batteries and I didn't get chance to search for any before we had to get out."

"So what does that mean?" Sasha's face dropped.

"Well it just means we're still a bit in the dark, but once I've rested up a bit I'm gonna go out and look for some. There was a little shop and a couple of houses about an hour's walk due south from here. Didn't get chance to search them properly when we passed them last but they looked promising."

"I'll go." Carol's voice appeared from over her shoulder. "I know where they are."

"But you must be exhausted, you haven't slept!" Mia protested.

"No less than you have! I wouldn't have slept anyway." Carol smiled and went to gather her things.

"I'll go with you. I've had some rest, and I can back you up." Tyrese got up from his chair and looked at his sister. "If you think you'll be ok without me that is."

"Go. I'll be fine." Sasha smiled and let go of his hand as he got himself ready and left with Carol.

"If you're ok I'll leave you to rest." Mia nodded to her and got up to leave.

"That's ok." She turned onto her side and swept her blanket up to her face. "Thank you. For everything."

Mia smiled and left to check on Daryl. His face was drained but he was breathing and to her, that's all that mattered. With Rick's help she patched up and dressed the wound on his back and examined his other systems to make sure she hadn't missed anything. All were as well as could be expected, so she turned her efforts to the cosmetic, gently cleaning the walker remnants from his face and hands before covering him with a blanket.

After checking on Sasha a couple of times, and refusing Rick's offers of food, Mia placed a small wooden stool to Daryl's left side and made herself comfortable. She held his hand in hers and watched his chest rising and falling, urging him to keep going. The motion of his chest was almost hypnotic, as her eyelids grew heavy and she finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mia…<em>**

_A voice echoed around her. No matter which direction she went, it was always out of reach._

**_Mia…!_**

_Louder and more desperate, it swirled around, taunting her._

**_MIA!_**

She woke up with a start to find herself slumped against Daryl, her head resting on his stomach and her hand still holding his. But something felt different. As she came round fully she realised his grip was reciprocating her own. He opened his eyes and caught her gaze as her mouth stretched into a smile.

"You gave us quite a fright there, Mr Dixon." Carol was standing at the other side of the bed grinning at them both. "How's he doing, doc?"

Daryl's eyes softened before once again they closed and he drifted out of consciousness.

"Hey guys. Sorry, I didn't see you come in." Mia's voice was still hoarse from sleep. She hoisted herself up and untangled her hand from Daryl's. Grabbing her stethoscope she checked him over. "He's a tough one. I won't be happy til he's woken up properly, but for now I think we're out of the woods…" She caught her words and snorted. "No pun intended."

"That's great news. And we have more. We come baring gifts!" Tyrese beamed as from behind his back he pulled out a small plastic bag filled with batteries and, more surprisingly, a Walkman. "We used it to check which of these still had some juice."

"Plus Daryl told me you had a CD with you. So we figured you could make good use of it." Carol took it from Tyreese and handed it to her. "We thought it'd be a nice surprise. A little thank you for everything you did for us."

Mia was stunned. She hadn't realised how _much_ she had missed music until that moment. As she tried to find the words to say, all she could muster was, "He told you?"

Carol gave a knowing smile. "He said he wanted to find something for you to play it on. He might act like the hard-man but he cares more about people than he likes to admit."

"Thank you so much for this. It really means a lot." She hugged them both tightly, grinning like a fool. "Now let's go check the little one!"

She exposed Sasha's tummy and, using the remainder of the lubricant from the speculum pack as a substitute for gel, placed the Doppler probe in place. A tension grew in the cabin as Mia searched for the sound they all desperately wanted to hear. Her face began to drop as she struggled to find the heartbeat. Sasha's hand squeezed her brother's tightly and Carol hid her face in her hands as Mia's eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm really sorry Sasha." She let out a soft cry as Mia made a final sweep of her abdomen. "I'm afraid- wait."

_Woosh. _

* * *

><p>The four of them froze in suspended animation as the sound became stronger.<p>

_Woosh. ._

"I'm afraid you're going to have a right handful on you with this cheeky little bugger! But that is one very healthy heartbeat!"

Tyreese jumped out of his seat, kissed his sister on the forehead and ran out of the cabin, giving an approaching Rick a sloppy smooch on the cheek as he passed.

"I'm still an uncle!" He screamed into the evening sun, to the joy of the anxiously waiting group outside.

Sasha didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so instead she did both. Mia and Carol held out for mere seconds before joining her. Rick approached them, beaming. "This is amazing news. Congratulations Sasha." He patted her on the shoulder before turning to Mia. "Can we talk?"

Mia followed him out of earshot of the others.

"Thank you for everything you've done. You and Daryl risked your lives for this and I appreciate it," his face became stern, "but I ain't happy that you lied to us."

"I'm sorry, really. Truth is I've had it used against me before and since then I promised myself I'd be more cautious. It was nothing personal." She looked him in the eye and tried to remain calm though his expression intimidated her.

"That better be all you're hiding. If you put this group in danger I won't be held responsible for my actions." A fire burned in his eyes that shook Mia to her core as he left the cabin.

Feeling flustered she felt it was the right time to try out her new toy. Taking her CD from her bag she placed it in her Walkman and put in the earphones. Her finger hovered over the play button and she felt curiously nervous. It had been so long since she'd had a real slice of life before the world turned into a waking nightmare. In all the time she had spent alone the silence felt deafening. She would try to block it out by humming or singing to herself. Sometimes she would let her imagination materialise into full bands and choirs and orchestras, letting the music fill her mind. She would imagine the warmth of a crowded gig when she felt cold at night. When she was sad she would think of the sombre sounds of violins and cellos, and when she was lonely she would think of playing her beat up old guitar, imaging the strings vibrating against her fingers as Kate sang her sweet harmony alongside her.

She walked outside and wandered towards the fence. Pressing play she stuffed the Walkman into her pocket and lost herself in the music. Looking out as the sun disappeared behind the trees from where she had emerged with Daryl mere hours ago, she thought back to what had happened and closed her eyes in quiet contemplation, allowing the tears to fall.

Mia opened her eyes and found her peace interrupted by the appearance of movement from the treeline. In the dim light of the evening she saw a figure approaching and readied her knife to tackle it. With her free hand she pressed the stop button and pulled out her earphones to hear a sound that stopped her heart.

"Mia?"

She dropped her knife as she recognised the voice.

"Jacob?"

**End of part 4**


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